Newsmakers: February 2015

Natalie McGill

Soliman named president of cancer education association

APHA member Amr Soliman, MD, PhD, in November was named president-elect of the American Association for Cancer Education. Soliman is professor and chair of the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s College of Public Health. He also serves as a principal investigator of the Cancer Epidemiology Education in Special Populations for University of Michigan and University of Nebraska public health students. Soliman will serve as president in 2015.

Holmes receives Margaret Mead award for anthropological research

Seth Holmes, MD, PhD, in December received the American Anthropological Association and the Society for Applied Anthropology’s Margaret Mead Award. Holmes was recognized for his 2013 book, “Fresh Fruit, Broken Bodies: Migrant Farmworkers in the United States,” which focuses on the health care challenges for migrant farm workers. The Margaret Mead Award is given to someone who makes anthropological research accessible to the general public via mediums such as films or books.

Jia named environmental health fellow via Harvard program

Chunrong Jia, PhD, in November was named a fellow in the JPB Environmental Health Fellowship Program. The program, based at Harvard University, encourages research on how the health of disadvantaged communities is influenced by physical and social environments. Jia is an assistant professor of environmental health at the University of Memphis School of Public Health.

Johnson named new chair of Kentucky school’s health management department

Christopher Johnson, PhD, in January became the new chair of the Department of Health Management and Systems Sciences at the University of Louisville’s School of Public Health and Information Sciences. Johnson previously served as associate professor of health services and director of the graduate program in health services administration at the University of Washington in Seattle.

Keating named associate dean at Louisiana school

Joseph Keating, PhD, MA, in January became the associate dean for undergraduate education at Tulane University’s School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. Keating, an associate professor at Tulane, previously served as the school’s associate professor of global health systems and development.

Kobetz receives foundation grant to prevent cervical cancer

Erin Kobetz, PhD, MPH, in November received a one-year $209,000 grant from the GE Foundation to address cervical cancer prevention in women living in south Florida communities with low access to health care. Kobetz is an associate director for disparities and community outreach for the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine’s Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. She is also an associate professor in the school’s Department of Public Health Sciences and director of Sylvester’s Jay Weiss Center for Social Medicine and Health Equity.

Little named public health and prevention council chair

Shirley Little in December was named the new chair of the University of North Texas Health Science Center’s Public Health and Prevention Council. Little previously served as a manager of government relations and legislative affairs for the City of Fort Worth, Texas. The council is a volunteer group that supports the university’s efforts in building a healthy community.

Schlesselman named fellow at American Association for the Advancement of Science

James Schlesselman, PhD, in November was named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Schlesselman is professor emeritus at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. He was recognized for his work as a biostatistician at the National Institutes of Health and as faculty at the University of Miami; the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland; and both the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Medicine and Cancer Institute.

Weir named to committee of standards and technology institute

Bruce Weir, PhD, in December was named to the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Biology-DNA Committee. Weir is a professor of biostatistics at the University of Washington’s School of Public Health. Weir’s committee role is to help create standards and guidelines related to forensic science.

Whalen named president of university medical center

Eileen Whalen, MHA, RN, in January was named president and chief operating officer of the University of Vermont Medical Center. Whalen previously served as chief executive of Harborview Medical Center in Seattle and executive vice president at the University of Arizona Medical Center.