January 8, 2009
Best of 2008: School of Public Health and Community Medicine
Department of Biostatistics
The department was ranked first in the nation among public universities (third overall) by the Chronicle of Higher Education based on the scholarly productivity of its faculty.
Professor Norman Breslow received an inter-university honorary doctorate from the University of Hasselt and the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium, the first awarded jointly by the two universities. The science faculty at the University of Hasselt offers an honorary doctorate only once every five years.
Professor Elizabeth Thompson was elected to the National Academy of Sciences for her research originality and excellence.
Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences (DEOHS)
Professor Michael Morgan received the Meritorious Achievement Award from the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists at this year’s American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Expo in recognition of his outstanding, long-term contributions to the field of occupational health and industrial hygiene.
Doctoral student Clarita Lefthand was awarded the second annual Bullitt Environmental Prize as well as an Environmental Protection Agency Science to Achieve Results (EPA STAR) fellowship to support her academic work.
Kathy Hall, managing editor of Northwest Public Health (formerly communications director in DEOHS), along with graphic designer Cathy Schwartz, won an award of excellence in the 2008 International Technical Publications Competition sponsored by the Society for Technical Communication for the 2007 DEOHS calendar.
Department of Epidemiology
Michelle Williams, professor and director of the UW Multidisciplinary International Research Training Program, received the 2008 Lilienfeld Award from the American College of Epidemiology. This is the College’s most prestigious award and is given for lifetime achievement.
Professor Shirley Beresford was elected president of the American Epidemiological Society, an elected-membership society of the top epidemiologists in the nation.
Department of Global Health
The Center for AIDS Research, one of the first AIDS research centers in the country, was awarded $16.5 million for the next five years to continue its trailblazing work in providing a cost-effective infrastructure for HIV/AIDS researchers.
Kenneth Sherr, clinical assistant professor working at Health Alliance International, was one of five scientists worldwide honored with a Young Investigator Award at the 2008 Global AIDS Conference.
Department of Health Services
While a first-year student in the Master of Health Administration program, Peter Kithene was named one of six CNN Heroes for founding the Mama Maria Health Clinic, which provides medical care and HIV/AIDS education to the rural village in Kenya where he was raised.
Jack Thompson received the Annual Public Health Leader Award from the Washing State Public Health Association in recognition of his outstanding leadership and achievement in public health in Washington state. Thompson recently stepped down as director of the Northwest Center for Public Health Practice.
