Newsmakers: November/December 2011
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* Teddi Dineley Johnson

## National board welcomes nine APHA members

Nine APHA members are among the new or returning members of the National Board of Public Health Examiners. Announced in September, they are Terry Dwelle, MD, MPHTM, CPH; Ruth Gaare-Bernheim, JD, MPH; David Gregorio, PhD, MS; Alan Melnick, MD, MPH, CPH; Philip Nasca, PhD; Roberta Ness, MD, MPH; Thomas Quade, MPH, MA, CPH; Gary Raskob, PhD; and Walter Tsou, MD, MPH, CPH.

## Hein helping to implement health reform in Vermont

APHA member Karen Hein, MD, of Jacksonville, Vt., in September was appointed to the Green Mountain Care Board, a body that is charged with creating a single-payer health care system in Vermont. Hein previously served as executive officer of the Institute of Medicine, overseeing the IOM Quality Initiative program and numerous projects and publications aimed at informing efforts to improve health care delivery.

## Kleinman lauded for dental health work

APHA member Dushanka Kleinman, DDS, MScD, in September was honored with the Callahan Memorial Award from the Ohio Dental Association. Kleinman, a professor and associate dean for research and academic affairs at the University of Maryland School of Public Health, has been actively involved in dentistry for nearly 40 years, and has a particular interest in eliminating health disparities.

## Altman takes legislative reins at SAMHSA

Brian Altman in July was named legislative director at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Altman formerly served as director of public policy and program development for Suicide Prevention Action Network USA.

## Donaldson to guide WHO patient safety effort

Sir Liam Donaldson, MD, DSc, in July was named envoy for patient safety at the World Health Organization. Donaldson, who served as England’s chief medical officer between 1998 and 2010, will help WHO promote patient safety as a global public health priority.

## Two Illinois nursing homes gain certification

Claremont Rehabilitation and Living Center in Buffalo Grove, Ill., and Forest Villa Nursing and Rehabilitation in Niles, Ill., in September became the first two nursing homes to be certified under the Joint Commission’s Disease-Specific Care Certification Program.

## Kennedy joins National Quality Forum

Rosemary Kennedy, PhD, MBA, in September joined the National Quality Forum as vice president for health information technology. An associate professor at Thomas Jefferson University School of Nursing, Kennedy previously served as chief nursing informatics officer at Siemens Medical Solutions.

## McNellis joins AHRQ as visiting scholar

Robert McNellis, MPH, PA, in September was named visiting senior scholar at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, where he will serve as a medical officer through October 2012. McNellis is vice president for science and public health at the American Academy of Physician Assistants.

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