The department of health policy and management at UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health is pleased to announce the following recent award winner and student achievements.
Devlin receives North Carolina Nurses Association award
Leah McCall Devlin, MPH, DDS, Gillings Visiting Professor of health policy and management at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, has received the Frances Newsom Miller Award from the North Carolina Nurses Association board of directors. This award is presented to those who promote public health through the work of nursing.
Devlin is an alumna of the School and consistently has been a strong supporter of nursing throughout her prominent career in public health. She served as director of the Wake County Department of Health for 10 years and then became the first woman to hold the position of State Health Director for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
Most recently, Devlin has supported the nursing community as a committee member for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Initiative on the Future of Nursing. This program campaigns for Americans to have access to high-quality, patient-centered care in a health care system where nurses are essential partners in achieving success.
HPM doctoral student selected to serve on American Journal of Public Health’s Editorial Board
Dio Kavalieratos, doctoral candidate in health policy and management (HPM) at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, has been selected to serve as the student member on the American Journal of Public Health's (AJPH) editorial board. Kavalieratos' yearlong term officially began on Nov. 2 after the American Public Health Association's (APHA) annual meeting.
As the student member on the board, Kavalieratos will develop and enact initiatives to promote student interaction with the journal. He was selected for this position from a national call for applications reviewed by the APHA executive board. Members were chosen based on a broad knowledge of public health.
"Dio is one of the very best teaching assistants I have ever worked with. He considers situations in a very deliberate, organized and reflective manner," said John Paul, PhD, clinical associate professor of health policy and management. "This approach makes him ideal for the editorial board of a major journal. Dio's broad perspective and kind and sensitive nature also make him ideal to work with."
AJPH editorial board members provide recommendations to the editor-in-chief and executive editor and have four broad areas of responsibility. They are selected to oversee the journal and its editorial functions, define the long-term vision, strategic plan and annual priorities for the journal, establish policies and procedures for the editorial board and the journal, and ensure the quality and integrity of the publication.
"My involvement with the editorial board will expose me to the structure and processes of a top-tier journal, an invaluable experience given that I hope to soon embark on an academic career as a health services researcher," said Kavalieratos, who is particularly interested in the quality of and access to health care services.
"AJPH is the leading public health journal in the country, and perhaps the world," said Morris Weinberger, PhD, Vergil N. Slee Distinguished Professor of Healthcare Quality Management in the Department of Health Policy and Management. "Dio's being appointed as the student member of the editorial board will provide him with substantive and policy experience in public health. This is a tremendous honor for him, and I am confident that he will bring great honor to UNC."
HPM student receives inaugural White-Wagner Scholarship in Health Care Research
Sarah Rutstein, doctoral candidate in health policy and management at UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and medical student at UNC School of Medicine, has been selected as the inaugural recipient of the Kerr L. White and Edward Wagner Scholarship in Health Care Research. The award is given to a UNC student pursuing both a public health and medical degree in recognition of his or her involvement in health care research.
Rutstein began the doctoral program in 2009 and has completed course work and comprehensive examinations required for the degree. She plans to complete her dissertation by 2015. Her research focuses on optimizing the management of HIV-positive patients in resource-limited settings. In August 2011, she began the medical degree program and plans to complete it in 2017. She plans to become an infectious disease clinician and academic investigator.
"I believe that Sarah has the potential to be a truly stellar investigator," said Morris Weinberger, PhD, Vergil N. Slee Distinguished Professor of Healthcare Quality Management in the health policy and management department. "Sarah personifies the type of individual National Institutes of Health had in mind with its emphasis on multidisciplinary teams that conduct clinical and translational research. She is passionate about caring for patients and conducting clinically-relevant health services research. She also is committed to improving the lives of persons with HIV/AIDs, both in the United States and around the world."
Rutstein, a native of Seattle, was a Robertson Scholar at Duke University and received a baccalaureate degree in public policy studies in 2007. While at Duke, she founded the Know Your Status HIV testing program - a student-run program that continues to offer free weekly HIV testing to students at Duke and Durham Technical Community College. Rutstein also worked in South Africa, where she helped prepare for the antiretroviral roll-out at a rural clinic.
"What an incredible honor to receive this award," Rutstein said. "I look forward to representing the schools of public health and medicine in my future research and clinical practice."
David Ballard, MD, PhD, UNC public health alumnus and current Public Health Foundation board member, and his wife, Michela Caruso, MD, endowed the White-Wagner Scholarship to honor White and Wagner, his mentors at UNC.