Newsmakers

Arnice Cottom

Brookmeyer named dean

APHA member Ronald Brookmeyer, PhD, in January was named dean of the Fielding School of Public Health at the University of California-Los Angeles. Brookmeyer joined UCLA in 2010 as a professor of biostatistics.

Foege receives award

APHA member William Foege, MD, MPH, in November received a lifetime achievement award for his work on disease eradication during the Recognizing Excellence Around Champions of Health Awards at the Reaching the Last Mile Forum in Abu Dhabi. The awards recognize people who have demonstrated extraordinary leadership and commitment in the field of disease elimination.

Kuehnert named president

APHA member Paul Kuehnert, DNP, RN, in December was named the new president and CEO of Public Health Accreditation Board. Kuehnert stepped into his new role in January.

Barrera receives award

Gloria Barrera, MSN, RN, in October received the Everett I. Hageman Volunteerism Award at the Friends of Public Health Celebration at the 78th Annual Meeting of the Illinois Public Health Association in Springfield, Illinois. Barrera is a school nurse at Downers Grove South High School who has organized several new initiatives to promote health and wellness for staff and students.

Drake elected board chair

Michael Drake, MD, in December has been elected chair of the Commonwealth Fund, a private foundation working to create a high-performance health system. Drake has been a member of the Fund’s board of directors since 2008.

Gray named director

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation in January announced the selection of Robb Gray, MPP, as director of policy-advocacy. Gray was previously the vice president of policy and advocacy for Arnold Ventures.

New staff, titles at APHA

Several new professionals have joined APHA’s staff in recent months. Cody Cooper, junior staff accountant; Kelly Hilovsky, APHA Bloomberg American Initiative policy fellow; and Vanessa Egbe, National Public Health Week fellow, joined Association staff in December. Two staff members have also received new titles: Surili Patel was named director of the Center for Climate Health and Equity and deputy director for public health policy in January, and Donya Currie was named deputy director of digital content in November.