Elwazeer, Mukherjee receive awards
APHA member Salma Elwazeer, MPH, MDS, and Debabrata Mukherjee, MD, received the 2025 Chancellor’s Council Distinguished Research and Teaching Award from Texas Tech University in March. Elwazeer was recognized for her contributions to dental and public health education, while Mukherjee was honored for his work in cardiovascular research and mentorship.
McMaughan awarded
APHA member DJ McMaughan, PhD, MsEd, was awarded the 2025 President’s Fellows Faculty Research Award at Oklahoma State University in March. McMaughan, an associate professor of public health within the university’s College of Education and Human Sciences, was recognized for research examining the link between social drivers of health and housing instability for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
White appointed director
APHA member Kina White, DrPH, MHA, was appointed director of the Office of State Health Planning and Research at the Mississippi State Department of Health in March. White will oversee new initiatives to leverage population data in evaluating the state’s health needs.
Nutrition society announces inaugural class of fellows
The American Society for Nutrition announced the first awardees of the Excellence in Nutrition Fellows of ASN program in March. Among them were Richmond Aryeetey, PhD, MPH, professor at University of Ghana School of Public Health in the Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health; Regan Bailey, PhD, MPH, professor at Texas A&M University College of Medicine; Jeannette Beasley, PhD, MPH, associate professor at New York University in the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies; Alison Gernand, PhD, MPH, associate professor at Pennsylvania State University College of Health and Human Development in the Department of Nutritional Sciences; Cindy Leung, ScD, MPH, assistant professor at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in the Department of Nutrition; and Helena Pachon, PhD, MPH, research professor at Emory University Center for the Study of Human Health.
Bae appointed chair
Sejong Bae, PhD, was named the inaugural chair of the Department of Biostatistics, Data Science and Epidemiology at Augusta University’s School of Public Health in March. Bae previously served as director of the Bioinformatics and Biostatistics Group at the University of Alabama Birmingham’s O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Eastman appointed CIO
Julie Eastman, MBA, was named senior vice president and chief information officer at PeaceHealth in April. Prior to joining PeachHealth, Eastman served as chief information officer at University of California-Irvine Health.
Lehmeler honored with award
Han-Joachim Lehmeler, PhD, was honored with the 2025 Regents Award for Faculty Excellence by the University of Iowa. Lehmeler is associate dean for research and professor in the College of Public Health’s Department of Occupational and Environmental Health.
Louis named dean
Judette Louis, MD, MPH, was named dean of the Eastern Virginia Medical School at Old Dominion University in March. Louis serves as the James M. Ingram professor and chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine. Her appointment is slated to begin in September.
Martin named president
James Martin, EdDm, was named the inaugural president of the Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences in February. He will oversee the opening of the tuition-free, health care-focused high school, which is slated to open in Demopolis in fall 2026.
Mohottige awarded
Dinushika Mohottige, MD, MPH, was awarded the National Kidney Foundation’s Medical Advisory Board Distinguished Service Award in April. Mohottige is an assistant professor at the Institute for Health Equity Research at Icahn School of Medicine. Her work to advance LGBTQ+ practices in care practices was recognized.
Noar named scholar
Seth Noar, PhD, was named the recipient of the Charles Atkin Translational Health Communication Scholar Award by the D.C. Health Communication Conference at George Mason University in March. Noar, the James Howard and Hallie McLean Parker distinguished professor at the University of North Carolina Hussman School of Journalism and Media, was recognized for his research in health communication for cancer prevention and tobacco control.
Oldenberg appointed director
Kristin Oldenberg, MD, was appointed medical director of Kent County Health Department in Michigan in March. Oldenberg’s background includes two decades of work promoting reproductive health through education and clinical care for vulnerable populations.
Patterson named distinguished professor
Freda Patterson, PhD, was named Alumni Distinguished Professor by the University of Delaware College of Health Sciences in April. Patterson is the associate dean of research and professor in the Department of Health Behavior and Nutrition Sciences. She was recognized for her commitment to advancing student and faculty success.
Pelican named director
Katey Pelican, DVM, PhD, was named director of the Health Sciences Institute at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in February. Pelican previously served at the University of Minnesota, where she led the Strategic Partnerships and Research Collaborative.
Sekesogundu honored
Barbara Sekesogundu was honored with the Black Excellence Award from the Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus in March. Sekesogundu is the vice president of Ashland Residents for Action and Equity. Her work to improve health care access to underserved communities was recognized.
Singh awarded
Parvati Singh, PhD, received the Early Career Distinguished Scholar Award from Ohio State University in March. Singh, an assistant professor of epidemiology, was recognized for groundbreaking research on racial disparities in mental health.
Tsai appointed director
Daniel Tsai was appointed director of the San Francisco Department of Public Health in February. Tsai previously led Massachusetts’ Medicaid program for almost 20 years and most recently served as Medicaid director at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services under the Biden administration.
Tzvieli named interim director
Ori Tzvieli, MD, was named interim director and chief executive officer of Contra Costa Health in California in March. Tzvieli has worked at the county’s health department since 2021, serving as public health director and health officer.
- Copyright The Nation’s Health, American Public Health Association