Newsmakers: November/December 2012

Donya Currie

Galbreath new director for SAMHSA-HRSA center

Laura Galbreath, MPP, took the helm in July as director of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration-Health Resources and Services Administration Center for Integrated Health Solutions. She previously was the center’s deputy director.

Heymann appointed Public Health England chair

David Heymann, MD, was appointed in July as acting chair of Public Health England, the new public health body that will be the expert voice for public health beginning in April 2013. He was chair of the Health Protection Agency.

NIH has new Office of Emergency Care Research

The National Institutes of Health in July announced the creation of the new Office of Emergency Care Research to help improve health outcomes of patients who require emergency care. Housed in the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, the office is being led on an acting basis by Walter Koroshetz, MD, deputy director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, with assistance form Alice Mascette, MD, senior clinical science advisor in the Division of Cardiovascular Sciences of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

Orszag joins RWJF board, Frist to join in 2013

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation announced in July that Peter Orszag, PhD, former director of the Office of Management and Budget, has joined its board of trustees. William Frist, MD, FACS, noted heart-lung transplant surgeon and former majority leader in the U.S. Senate, will join the board in January.

Alzheimer’s Association lifetime achievement awards

Four leading scientists were recognized in July by the Alzheimer’s Association for extraordinary contributions to Alzheimer’s disease research: Bradley Hyman, MD, PhD, of Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital; Lennart Mucke, MD, of the University of California, San Francisco; Monique Breteler, MD, PhD, of the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases at University Bonn; and Ronald Petersen, MD, PhD, of the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester, Minn.

Public Health Foundation model guide winners

The Public Health Foundation in July announced the winners of the “I’m Your Community Guide!” Contest, which was designed to identify model practices for implementing the evidence-based strategies outlined in the Guide to Community Preventive Services. The Michigan Cancer Consortium was awarded first place for the story, “The MCC Challenge,” a cancer screening promotion program for employees. Second place went to “The Community Guide and Personalized Educational and Experiential Modules for Diabetes Management,” from the Austen BioInnovation Institute in Akron, Ohio. Third place was awarded to the Central Michigan District Health Department for “Together We Can! Create a Healthier Community,” which addressed the eight health priorities established for its wellness program.

Crompton, Hazari, Eisele receive awards

Peter Crompton, MD, MPH, a tenure-track investigator and chief of the Malaria Infection Biology and Immunity Unit in the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Division of Intramural Research Laboratory for Immunogenetics, was honored in July at a White House Ceremony as a recipient of a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. Other awardees included U.S. Environmental Protection Agency scientists Mehdi Harzai, PhD, and Adam Eisele.

Recipients honored for work in fight against malaria

The Malaria No More Policy Center in June announced this year’s recipients of annual awards for distinguished service in the fight against malaria. The winners were Sens. Chris Coons, D-Del.; Roger Wicker, R-Miss.; Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, R-Neb.; and the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research.