Newsmakers: February 2014

Kim Krisberg

Burke nominated to EPA office

APHA member Thomas Burke, PhD, MPH, in November was nominated to lead the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Research and Development as assistant administrator. Burke is an associate dean for public health practice and training at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a lifetime national associate of the National Academy of Sciences and a fellow of the Society for Risk Analysis.

APHA members awarded tobacco research funds

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and National Institutes of Health in September awarded $53 million to create 14 Tobacco Centers of Regulatory Sciences. The centers will generate research to inform the regulation of tobacco products. Among the awardees are APHA members Michael Eriksen, PhD, of Georgia State University; Stanton Glantz, PhD, of the University of Vermont and State Agriculture College; Robert Hornik, PhD, of the University of Pennsylvania; and Cheryl Perry, PhD, of the University of Texas-Austin.

APHA members elected to IoM

The Institute of Medicine in October elected to its ranks 70 new members and 10 foreign associates during its 43^rd annual meeting. Among its new members are APHA members Karen Glanz, PhD, MPH, the George A. Weiss university professor and professor of epidemiology and nursing at the Perelman School of Medicine and School of Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania; Alan Jette, PhD, MPH, PT, professor of health policy and management at the Boston University School of Public Health; Thomas LaVeist, PhD, the William C. and Nancy F. Richardson professor in health policy at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; and Jonna Ann Mazet, DVM, PhD, MPVM, professor of epidemiology and disease ecology and executive director of the One Health Institute at the University of California-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.

Koob to direct national substance abuse institute

George Koob, PhD, in October was named director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Previously, Koob served as chair of the Scripps Research Institute’s Committee on the Neurobiology of Addictive Disorders and director of the institute’s Alcohol Research Center.

Koval to lead anti-tobacco nonprofit

Robin Koval, MBA, in October took the reins as the new president and chief executive officer at Legacy. Legacy is the national public health foundation created out of the 1998 multistate tobacco master settlement agreement and works to prevent youth tobacco use.

Mascola named vaccine director at NIAID

John Mascola, MD, in October was named the new director of the Vaccine Research Center at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Mascola will oversee research aimed at the design, development and testing of candidate vaccines against HIV/AIDS, flu and other infectious diseases. Mascola previously served as acting director and deputy director of the Vaccine Research Center.

Mental health campaign honored

The National Alliance on Mental Illness’ You Are Not Alone Campaign in September was named a finalist in PR News’ annual Platinum Awards. The initiative, which raises awareness about mental health issues, was honored in the On a Shoe-String Campaign category. The category honors a creative campaign done with a limited budget.

NIH announces Centers for Accelerated Innovations

The National Institutes of Health in September announced the launch of the new Centers for Accelerated Innovations, which will focus on technologies to improve the diagnosis, treatment, management and prevention of heart, lung, blood and sleep disorders and diseases. The three inaugural centers will be established in Massachusetts, Ohio and California.

Sinclair named fellow at Mathematica

Michael Sinclair, PhD, in December was named a senior fellow in the statistics department at Mathematica Policy Research. A leader in designing and analyzing large-scale surveys in the public and private sectors, Sinclair previously served as a senior statistician at Mathematica, designing large-scale survey samples for clients such as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Sox takes senior role at research institute

Harold Sox, MD, in October was named senior advisor to the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute. Sox previously served as a member of the institute’s Advisory Panel on Assessment of Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment Options and is a professor of medicine at Dartmouth College.