Newsmakers

Maybank named chief health equity officer

The American Medical Association in May named APHA member Aletha Maybank, MD, MPH, its chief health equity officer. Maybank is the first to hold the position. In her new role, Maybank will launch AMA’s Center for Health Equity, with the aim of improving health of historically disinvested populations.

Whaley co-authors award-winning paper

APHA member Natalie Whaley, MD, MPH, co-authored a paper that was awarded the Donald F. Richardson Prize at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Annual Meeting in May. The paper investigated whether point-of-care ultrasound testing could identify and triage gynecologic pathology in a low-resource setting. Whaley is an assistant professor at the University of Rochester.

Jennings appointed NPHIC executive director

The National Public Health Information Coalition in April appointed APHA member Robert Jennings as its new executive director. Jennings previously served as director of communications for the Ohio Department of Health and as the principal consultant for his firm, RLJ Strategic Communications.

APHA members listed in 40 Under 40

Six APHA members were honored as young leaders in public health in May under the de Beaumont Foundation’s new 40 Under 40 in Public Health program. The list includes APHA members Colleen Healy Boufides, JD; Julian Drix; Sarah Moyer, MD, MPH; Jamila Porter, DrPH, MPH; Syretta Shealey, MPH; and Sameer Vohra, MD, JD, MA, FAAP.

Hanna-Attishna to receive inaugural award

Mona Hanna-Attisha, MD, MPH, will be presented with the Vilcek-Gold Award for Humanism in Healthcare. Hanna-Attisha will be recognized for her 2015 research that found high levels of lead in the children of Flint, Michigan and her work in the pediatric field. The Vilcek Foundation and the Arnold P. Gold Foundation collaborated to create a new award designed to spotlight immigrant contributions to compassion in medicine, will be presented in November. The award includes a $10,000 prize. Hanna-Attisha pledged the unrestricted cash prize to the Flint Kids Fund.

Fairchild named dean at Ohio State College of Public Health

Amy Fairchild, PhD, MPH, will serve as the dean of the Ohio State College of Public Health until 2024. The appointment, effective July, will bring Fairchild from Texas A&M University where she served as associate vice president for faculty and academic affairs in the School of Public Health. She will succeed APHA member William Martin II, MD, who will retire.

Brown School of Public Health names new associate dean

Melissa Clark, PhD, has been named as the new associate dean of academic affairs for the School of Public Health at Brown University. Clark was previously a professor of health services, policy and practice. She succeeds APHA member Don Operario, PhD, who stepped down to pursue full-time teaching.

Tucci appointed director of NIDCD

The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communications Disorders will be led by Debara Tucci, MD, MS, MBA, beginning in September. Tucci was a director of the cochlear implant program at Duke University. The National Institutes of Health announced the selection in May. Tucci succeeds James Battey Jr., MD, PhD, who has retired.

Kennedy Krieger expands leadership team

The Kennedy Krieger Institute in April appointed S. Ali Fatemi, MD, as its new chief medical officer. Concurrently, the institute introduced Suzanne Rybczynski, MD, as its first associate chief medical officer. Michelle Melicosta, MD, MPH, FAAP, was appointed to Rybczynski’s previous position as medical director of the Inpatient Pediatric Rehabilitation Unit.

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