Carmona joins Taser International's board of directors
Former U.S. Surgeon General and APHA member Richard H. Carmona, MD, MPH, FACS, in March joined the board of directors of Taser International Inc., a company that specializes in developing and manufacturing non-lethal, self-defense devices that reduce injuries and save lives. Carmona, who served as surgeon general from 2002 to 2006, presently serves as the first distinguished professor in public health at the University of Arizona’s Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. In addition, he heads the new Childhood Influenza Immunization Coalition, an initiative of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases that brings together more than 20 of the nation’s leading public health, medical and parent organizations to improve pediatric influenza immunization rates.
 
Magazine honors Gerberding as one of  top women in health care     
Julie Gerberding, MD, MPH, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in April was named one of the top 25 women in health care by Modern Healthcare magazine. Gerberding was selected from among 160 nominees for being the first woman to oversee the CDC and for her efforts to help the nation respond to a possible influenza pandemic, bioterrorism threats and chronic diseases.

Medical directors laud Malloy
Timothy Malloy, MD, in April was named “Medical Director of the Year” by the American Medical Directors Association. Malloy is an associate professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center's Department of Family Medicine and medical director of Hillcrest Health and Rehab in Bellevue, Neb. Malloy was recognized for his work as a physician, educator, patient advocate and clinician.

Strait to direct communications at NCMHD
George A. Strait, Jr., in March was named director of communications at the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities, a division of the National Institutes of Health. Previously, Strait served as associate vice chancellor for public affairs at the University of California at Berkeley, where he oversaw the university’s communications, media relations, government affairs and visitor services. Prior to that, Strait was chairman of the Board of Directors for the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and chief medical correspondent at ABC News.

Wishmeyer to edit Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition
Paul Wishmeyer, MD, in May was named editor-in-chief of the Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition. Kenneth Kudsk, MD, FACS, FCCM, will serve as deputy editor. The journal is the premier scientific journal of nutrition and metabolic support. Wishmeyer, a graduate of the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, holds three NIH grants for clinical research in the nutrition field and is the current co-chair of the 2009 Society of Critical Care Medicine meeting. Kudsk is a professor of surgery at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. He formerly served as a professor of surgery, director of surgical research and director of nutrition support services at the University of Tennessee in Memphis.

Kone named dean of University of Florida College of Medicine
In March, Bruce C. Kone, MD, chair of the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Texas Medical School in Houston, was appointed dean of the University of Florida College of Medicine. A scientist and kidney specialist, Kone is known in the field for his strong support of medical and graduate education. He previously served as chief of the Internal Medicine Service at Memorial Hermann Hospital, where he was also medical director of patient care management.

Gerardi to head New York nurses’ association
In June, Christina Gerardi, MS, RN, CAE, was named chief executive officer of the New York State Nurses Association. Gerardi served as the association’s deputy executive director from 1998 to 2007, when she was appointed interim executive director. Before joining the association in a staff role, Gerardi served on the Board of Directors and as chair of the association’s council on legislation. She has also served as an assistant vice president of the Healthcare Association of New York State and director of clinical services for the Iroquois Healthcare Consortium.

Alving takes top job at NCRR
Barbara Alving, MD, in April was  named director of the National Center for Research Resources at the National Instiutes of Health. As acting director of the center, Alving has overseen the launch of the Clinical and Translational Science Awards program, a new national consortium of academic health centers that will transform the conduct of clinical and translational research to ensure that biomedical discoveries are rapidly translated into prevention strategies and clinical treatments for rare and common diseases. A professor of medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md., Alving is also a master in the American College of Physicians, a former member of the subcommittee on hematology of the American Board of Internal Medicine and a previous member of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Blood Products Advisory Committee. She currently serves as an NIH liaison for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and is a member of the Advisory Board for Clinical Research at the NIH Clinical Center.

Acheson assumes key food protection role at FDA
David Acheson, MD, FRCP, in May was appointed assistant commissioner for food protection at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Acheson will provide advice and counsel to the commissioner on strategic and substantive food safety and food defense matters. Acheson has served as chief medical officer and director of the Office of Food Defense, Communication and Emergency Response at FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. In his new role, Acheson will work with individual FDA product centers and the Office of Regulatory Affairs to coordinate FDA’s food safety and defense assignments and commitments. One of his first projects is the development of an agency-wide, visionary strategy for food safety and defense that will identify and characterize changes in the global food safety and defense system and identify current and future challenges and opportunities.

Mental Health America honors top advocates
Mental Health America in June honored leading mental health advocates for service, innovation and cultural competency. Rebecca Fuentes-Batchelor was awarded the Sandy Brant Volunteer Service Award for her role as the volunteer president of Mental Health America’s Southwest Alabama affiliate, where she has sustained her association’s existence as well as expanded its programs and services. The Innovation in Programming Award went to Mental Health Association in New Jersey and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey for their CHOICES program, a consumer-driven initiative that strives to meet the needs of smokers with mental illness by increasing awareness of the importance of addressing tobacco use and by creating a strong peer support network for patients. The Mental Health Association in Passaic County, NJ, was awarded the Betty Humphrey Cultural Competency Award for its Arab-American Community Services Partnership, which has created greater cultural awareness and identified strategies to increase access to services.

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