Newsmakers: April 2015
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* Sedise Tiruneh

## Olsen named director

APHA member Greg Olsen, MPH, was named public health director for the village of Oak Park in Illinois in January. Olsen previously served as the public health manager for the Evanston Health and Human Services in Illinois, where he was also operations section chief for COVID-19 response.

## Public health students ‘rock’

Two APHA members made the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice’s annual list of Students Who Rocked Public Health in 2024. Lu Collina, who is studying at Temple University, and Chanhee Kim, at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing, were honored for demonstrating “how passion, ingenuity and dedication can address critical public health challenges and make lasting impacts in their communities.” Kim also received the Student Achievement Award from APHA’s Health Administration Section in the fall.

## Brickley appointed director

Elizabeth Brickley, PhD, MPhil, was appointed director of Colorado School of Public Health’s Center for Global Health in January. Brickley is a professor in the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology and International Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She is slated to begin in July.

## Carmona appointed director

Manuel Carmona, MPH, MPA was appointed director Pasadena Public Health Department in California in January. Carmona, who has been with the department for 10 years, formerly served as acting and deputy director.

## Jao named co-chair

Jennifer Jao, MD, MPH, was named co-chair of the International Maternal Pediatric Adolescent AIDS Clinical Trial Network in January. Jao is professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and director of the Section on Maternal, Pediatric and Adolescent HIV at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. Jao is slated to begin her term later this year.

## Kendi named chief officer

Sadiqa Kendi, MD, MPH, was named chief medical officer for Safe Kids Worldwide in January. Kendi, who previously served as division chief at Boston Medical Center, will now lead and develop strategies to address unintentional injuries in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia.

## Linnear appointed dean

Kim Linnear, PhD, MPA, CHES, was named associate dean of administration by the University of Louisville School of Public Health and Information Sciences in January. Linnear is assistant professor in the university’s Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences. In her new role, Linnear will oversee communication, facilities, information technology, human resources and philanthropy.

## Mercer awarded

William Carl Mercer, MD, CMD, was awarded the 2025 Medical Director of the Year by the Foundation for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine in January. Mercer, a physician and medical director for family clinics in West Virginia, was honored for his work to provide medical care to people who are experiencing homelessness.

## Nadkarni named chair, director

Girish Nadkarni, MD, MPH, CPH, was named chair of the Windreich Department of Artificial Intelligence and Human Health and director of the Hasso Plattner Institute for Digital Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in January. In his new roles, Nadjarni will lead the school’s AI research, education and clinical translation.

## Nordin named director

Michael Nordin was named executive director of the Mental Health Association in Chautauqua County, New York, in January. Nordin, an occupational therapist assistant, has served as MHA program director since 2018.

## Opara awarded

Ijeoma Opara, PhD, MPH, was awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers by then-President Joe Biden in January. Opara is associate professor at Yale School of Public Health and director of the Substances and Sexual Health Lab. She was recognized for improving the health of urban youth of color.

## Pan appointed director

Erica Pan, MD, MPH, was appointed director and state public health officer for the California Department of Public Health in January. Pan joined the department in 2020 as state epidemiologist and deputy director for the Center for Infectious Diseases. Her background includes leading the state through the COVID-19 pandemic, Ebola planning and work to address H5N1 bird flu.

## Skaar awarded

Eric Skaar, PhD, MPH, was awarded the 2025 NAS Award in Molecular Biology by the National Academy of Sciences in January. Skaar is professor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and director of the Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology and Inflammation. He was honored for his work in nutrition and infectious disease.

*   Copyright The Nation’s Health, American Public Health Association