Newsmakers
==========

* Emily Pollack

## Austin receives award

APHA member Erika Austin, PhD, MPH, in September received the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s 2019 President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching for the School of Public Health. Austin serves as an associate professor in the department of biostatistics and the associate dean for academic affairs at the university’s School of Public Health.

## Nelson receives award

In June, APHA member Kimberly Nelson was awarded the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Childhood Immunization Champion Award. Nelson is a master’s student studying health services policy and management at the University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health. She founded South Carolina Parents for Vaccines.

## Haqmal receives award

APHA member Mohammad Haqmal, PhD, in June was awarded the Afghanistan National Public Health Hero Award 2019 by the Afghanistan parliament. Haqmal, a former Afghan public health chief, was recognized for his innovation in community-based health care. Haqmal was given sanctuary in the United Kingdom this year after fleeing Afghanistan because of Taliban actions against him.

## Clark named associate dean

Melissa Clark, PhD, in May was appointed associate dean for academic affairs in the Brown University School of Public Health. Clark is a professor of health services, policy and practice.

## Rutgers welcomes faculty members

Rutgers School of Public Health welcomed two new faculty members. recently. Vivian Li, PhD, in August started as a tenure track assistant professor in the department of biostatistics and epidemiology. Jaya Satagopan, PhD, started in September as a professor of biostatistics, where she will be establishing the Center for Quantitative Health and Education.

## Vanderbilt establishes new center

In June, Vanderbilt University Medical Center announced plans to form the Center for Improving the Public’s Health Using Informatics. The center aims to improve public health and health systems through integrating critical data informatics and analytics. It will be co-directed by Melissa McPheeters, PhD, MPH, a research professor in health policy, and Michael Matheny, MD, MS, MPH, a practicing general internist and medical informatician. Both are at Vanderbilt University.

## Mays receives award

Vickie Mays, PhD, MA, MSPH, in June received the Career Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award from the University of California-Los Angeles Academic Senate. Mays is a professor of health policy and management at the University of California-Los Angeles’ Fielding School of Public Health and the director of the UCLA Center for Bridging Research Innovation, Training and Education for Minority Health Disparity Solutions.

## Halkitis receives award

Perry Halkitis, PhD, MPH, MS, in August accepted the Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award by the American Psychological Association’s Society for the Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity. Halkitis is dean of the Rutgers School of Public Health; founder and director of the Center for Health, Identity, Behavior and Prevention Studies; and a professor in the biostatistics and social and behavioral health sciences departments.

## Shafer welcomed as manager

The Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health welcomed Timothy Shafer in June as its new manager of data analytics. Shafer was previously a flight avionics technician in the U.S. Navy.

## Justement named president-elect

Louis Justement, PhD, MS, in July was named president-elect of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. Justement is a professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Department of Microbiology and directs the graduate biomedical sciences immunology graduate theme and the undergraduate immunology program.

## Stradley named chief program officer

The Alliance for a Healthier Generation in June named Laurie Stradley, DrPH, MA, to serve as its chief program officer. Stradley serves as an adjunct instructor within the University of North Carolina’s Gillings School of Global Health Master of Public Health Program.

## Suarez wins award

Paloma Suarez, MPH, in June received the 2019 New Hampshire Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Outstanding Dietetic Student Award for her work at Keene State College as a dietetic intern working through the International Institute of New England.

## Fowler named executive vice president

The Commonwealth Fund welcomed Elizabeth Fowler PhD, JD, in July as executive vice president of programs. Fowler previously served as vice president for global health policy at Johnson & Johnson.

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