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ACE President-Elect
Vote for One (1)

Faith Davis, PhD, is a Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health where she is the Senior Associate Dean and Director of Graduate Studies.  She served as the Director of the Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics from 1997-2001 and has served on the Board of Directors for the American College of Epidemiology for two full terms. Dr. Davis has served on several national cancer committees and currently serves on the Radiation Advisory Committee of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Environmental Protection Agency, is co-chair of the Brain Tumor Epidemiology Consortium, serves as an advisor to the Central Brain Tumor Registry of the United States and is on the board of the Illinois Division of the American Cancer Society. Dr. Davis is currently co-director of an NCI funded cancer education and prevention training grant and a CDC funded multidisciplinary public health training grant. Dr. Davis has worked in academia since 1984 where she has actively engaged students in the study of cancer epidemiology, conducted case-control studies of rare cancers to address environmental risk factors in the Chicago region and directed a cohort study funded by the Department of Energy involving a radiation exposed cohort along the Techa River in the Southern Urals of Russia.

Statement: I have been so pleased to be a part of the college over the last decade. I have learned that our success lies in the energy of the membership through the time and commitment that members bring to committees. The vitality of the annual meetings in addressing salient and emerging issues relevant to epidemiologists across a broad spectrum of specialties is a key ingredient to the organization and one I will make every effort to ensure continues. I will support the emphasis on policy development and the newer mentoring initiatives that committees have been working so hard on and help keep the signature workshops that meet the needs of a broader community. I would like to see this organization retain its forward looking stance and its agility in responding to issues and needs of the field as they arise. The American College of Epidemiology is a vital organization which provides an overarching service to the discipline and one I would try to ensure remains fiscally sound through solid stewardship and membership growth.  My agenda is to support the outstanding work of the ongoing committees and listen to the suggestions and needs of the membership. Through all the emerging changes in our science and policy environment we will keep the discipline poised at the forefront of public health.

James G. Gurney, Ph.D. is Associate Director for Clinical Research in the Department of Pediatrics and Co-Director of the Michigan Congenital Heart Outcomes and Discovery Program at the University of Michigan. He is a Fellow of ACE, member of the Board of Directors, past Chair of the Publications Committee, and member of the Mentoring Committee. As an Associate Editor for the Annals of Epidemiology, he has served as the liaison between ACE and the Annals through the Publications Committee for many years.

Background:  Dr. Gurney completed his M.S. (1991) and Ph.D. (1994) degrees in epidemiology from the University of Washington School of Public Health. His primary research focus is on childhood cancer epidemiology and long-term adverse effects of treatment among survivors. Recently, he expanded his outcomes work into complex congenital heart disease and pediatric cardiology. Dr. Gurney received the American Brain Tumor Foundation Award for Excellence in Epidemiology from the Society for Neuro-Oncology in 2001; the University of Minnesota Academic Health Center Recognition of Excellence in 2002; the Clinical Sciences Scholar Award from the University of Michigan in 2005; and he has received several teaching awards and commendations throughout his career.

Statement: Working in a medical school with few colleagues trained in our profession, I often feel akin to an expatriate living in a foreign country. I embrace the language and people, but I live outside my familiar cultural base where public health science is the principal focus of work and values. Graduating epidemiologists starting their career, and epidemiologists who are working in industry, pharma, consulting or in health provider systems, often express similar feelings, with desire to be better connected to colleagues and to the profession at large. I greatly appreciate ACE for providing us with an embassy where we can refresh and re-energize our professional foundation, and where opportunities exist to actively contribute to the organization’s mission of advocating for and promoting sound epidemiologic science and sound epidemiologists, regardless of the work setting. This is one of the key functions and responsibilities of ACE: to provide a shared environment where the profession of epidemiology and our role in public health science is protected and continually improved through the active membership – in committees, at the annual meeting, and through the Board of Directors.  

It has been my pleasure to serve ACE through the tenure of many outstanding ACE Presidents. If elected to this office, I do not plan to reinvent any wheels, but rather to continue the fine efforts of the leadership before me. One issue that is very important – we must strive to bring the energy and ideas of graduate students and newer graduates of epidemiology programs into the College. With new input and fresh viewpoints, ACE will remain dynamic and relevant.  I will work with the Board and the committees - Mentoring, Admissions, Minority Affairs, and all the others - to continue our efforts to attract new membership, young and not as young, and activate existing membership, by encouraging an environment of opportunity for professional stewardship.

Donna K. Arnett, PhD is Professor and Chair, Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).

Background:  Dr. Arnett joined the American College of Epidemiology as a Fellow in 2005.  She is a member of the Society for Epidemiologic Research, an elected member of the American Epidemiology Society, and a Fellow of the Council of Epidemiology of the American Heart Association (AHA).

Dr. Arnett earned her MSPH from the University of South Florida in 1988 and PhD from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, in 1991. She was awarded her first grant, a post-doctoral fellowship from AHA in 1992.  In 1994, Dr. Arnett joined the Division of Epidemiology at the School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, where she was promoted to Professor with Tenure in 2002.  In 2004, Dr. Arnett became Chair of Epidemiology at UAB.  

Dr. Arnett has held many leadership positions with AHA.  She chairs the Research Committee and serves on the National AHA Board of Directors.  Dr. Arnett participated in development of the new strategic plan for the AHA.  Dr. Arnett was a chartered member of the NIH Cardiovascular Sleep Epidemiology study section, and served as Chair from 2006-2008.  Dr. Arnett is Editor for the American Journal of Epidemiology and Senior Guest Editor-in-Chief for Circulation. 

Dr. Arnett’s professional interests include cardiovascular disease epidemiology, genetic epidemiology, and pharmacogenetics.  Dr. Arnett holds five NIH grants in these areas, and is internationally recognized for her work in genetic epidemiology of complex diseases and pharmacogenetics.  She is PI of GenHAT, a pharmacogenetic study of blood pressure treatment, the Genetics of Lipid Lowering and Diet Network, and pharmacogenomics of methotrexate treatment in rheumatoid arthritis.  Dr. Arnett has published about 250 peer-reviewed articles and more than 12 book chapters or invited review papers. 

Dr. Arnett has taught graduate courses methodological aspects of epidemiology.  She chaired the Epidemiology MPH Program at the University of Minnesota and directed the NHLBI T32 Program in Cardiovascular Genetic Epidemiology.  At UAB, Dr. Arnett teaches a grant writing course and a study design course.

Statement:  Epidemiology is the core science of public health, yet the application of epidemiology to other domains has not been fully realized.  With the movement toward multidisciplinary “big science”, epidemiology stands at the threshold for expansion.  If elected, I will invest my energy in promotion of epidemiologic design as a science foundation for other disciplines, and promote the value of rigorous epidemiologic methods within our own field.  I am passionate about the utility of epidemiologic methods to answer questions of importance, not only for public health, but for other health-related fields. For epidemiology to grow and provide expertise to multidisciplinary teams, we have to build bridges.  I would help ACE to develop a strategic plan to take us into the next decade since the last ACE strategic plan dates to 2001.   My professional experiences make me an ideal candidate for the ACE Board of Directors, and if elected, I would be honored to serve.

Janet Arrowsmith, MD, FACP, FACE

Background:  Janet Arrowsmith is a physician board certified in Internal Medicine and in an independent consultant in pharmacoepidemiology and US FDA regulation. She trained in epidemiology at CDC, worked at FDA for 11 years as an epidemiologist and premarket medical reviewer.  She has been in private medical, epidemiologic and regulatory consulting for 10 years.  She obtained her undergraduate degree in zoology from Duke University, her MD from the Tulane University School of Medicine and served as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer with CDC from 1984 through 1986.  She is author and co-author of several book chapters on pharmacoepidemiology and has a number of publications related to post market safety surveillance of drugs and medical devices. She has been on the faculties of the Georgetown University School of Medicine and the International School of Pharmacoepidemiology.

Statement:  I am honored to be nominated as a candidate for the ACE Board of Directors.  As a candidate, I believe that I would bring an unusual perspective and set of career experiences to the Board.  I believe that being an independent consultant has required me to pursue business development strategies that will serve ACE well should I be elected to the Board of Directors.

During the time I have been a Member, and now a Fellow of ACE, I have enjoyed the organization’s openness to change and new ideas.  I believe that I can continue and encourage that tradition on the Board.  During my tenure as Chair of the ACE Membership Committee, our committee has initiated programs developing mailing lists and listservs for use in contacting epidemiologists and epidemiology programs to encourage ACE membership and active participation in ACE.  We are re-invigorating the Member-get-a-Member program, using web-based technology to assist ACE members in contacting their colleagues.  As Chair, I have established several subcommittees, including a standing subcommittee to update our section of the Strategic Plan and   a standing subcommittee to work with FirstPoint in obtaining and processing information our Committee uses to produce the annual report on membership trends.   

Our Committee supports the Mentoring and Minority Affairs Committees, offering our assistance in shared programs to benefit ACE.  Our Committee is committed to increasing Associate Member participation in ACE, thereby helping assure their commitment to ACE.   Under my leadership, the Membership Committee has recruited additional Associate Member and international representation on the Membership Committee.   We are actively encouraging Associate members, minority, and international representatives to participate in the work of the Committee. 

I believe that these initiatives represent the type of energy and ideas I can bring to the ACE Board of Directors.   I have found that openness to new ideas is an effective way to improve the overall creative efforts of our Committee.  I hope that I can continue to contribute new ideas and enthusiasm to our College as a member of the ACE Board of Directors.

Christine M. Branche, Ph.D., FACE is the Acting Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background: Dr. Branche is an American College of Epidemiology Fellow, and a member of the Admissions Committee.  She holds a B.A. in biology from the University of Rochester, and completed her M.S.P.H. and Ph.D. in Epidemiology at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill while on a National Science Foundation fellowship.  Her Masters and doctoral work focused on occupational safety and health, but she also gained expertise in environmental epidemiology.  As a student she worked on maternal and child health epidemiology at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health.  Working at Burroughs Wellcome Company (now Glaxo Smith Kline) as a research fellow allowed her to gain expertise in pharmacoepidemiology as well. 

Dr. Branche began her career at the CDC as an Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) Officer in the U.S. Public Health Service in what eventually becme the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.  After her EIS experience, she worked first as a staff epidemiologist, and then became a branch chief.    From 1996 to July 2007, Dr. Branche was the Director of the Division of Unintentional Injury.  She has conducted extensive research in injury prevention including drowning, water recreation, fire-related injury prevention, motor vehicle-related injury prevention and sports and recreation, falls among adults and construction workers.  In 1998 she became a Public Health Leadership Institute Scholar (CDC and University of California).  She joined NIOSH in 2007 as the Principal Associate Director coordinating science and program activities.  Currently, she the acting director of NIOSH, which is the only federal agency charged with conducting occupational safety and health research.  Dr. Branche has taught courses in epidemiology at the graduate and undergraduate levels and in medical school.

Statement:  Increasingly, epidemiology, and its ease and facility in multi-disciplinary approaches, makes it a valuable discipline in public health.  Whether it is interpretation of health impact data, careful scrutiny of risk data, or assessments of comparative effectiveness research, epidemiologists are the scientists with unique skills that should participate in health policy development at local, state and national levels.  For example, as health care reform in the United States rapidly gains momentum, the field of epidemiology should and will play an increasingly important role in helping to sort through the scientific and medical literature, data and other information.  The American College of Epidemiology and its ability to both distinguish the discipline and help cultivate future generations in our field will continue to be critical foci in the coming years.  I have experience that would assist in positioning the College well to adapt to changes in public health, in sharpening the discipline of epidemiology, and in balancing the demands of research and practical applications of research findings.  I would be honored to serve the College in a role that would meaningfully help us to prepare for ever-expanding demands for our expertise.

Craig Newschaffer is a Professor and Chairman of the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the Drexel University School of Public Health. 

Background:  Dr. Newschaffer joined Drexel in 2006 coming from the Department of Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins where he was on faculty for seven years.   At Hopkins, Dr. Newschaffer founded and directed the Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities Epidemiology.  His principal research area today remains autism epidemiology but he also has past experience working more broadly in chronic disease epidemiology.  He is currently principal investigator of an NIH Autism Center of Excellence project focused on detection of prenatal autism risk factors and is involved in several other major US autism research initiatives.  Dr. Newschaffer is also currently organizing an NIH-funded conference on current and emerging risk communication challenges related to autism research.  He is an Associate Editor of the American Journal of Epidemiology and a member of the editorial boards of the International Journal of Autism Research and Developmental Epidemiology.  He is a member of the Society for Epidemiologic Research, the American Public Health Association, and the International Society for Autism Research.  He has served on the Governing Board of the Epidemiology Section of APHA and has been appointed to numerous government, professional society, academic, and foundation advisory panels. He retains an appointment as an Adjunct Professor of Epidemiology at Johns Hopkins.

Statement:  Findings from epidemiologic research, especially observational studies, are quite challenging to communicate to lay audiences.  Media, university PR departments, and, to some extent, even peer reviewers, respond more favorably to simplified declarations.  The College is well-positioned to explore strategies promoting informed, nuanced and balanced communication of emerging findings from epidemiologic research.  Strategies to be considered include both the proactive (e.g., workshops bringing together diverse constituencies involved in communicating epidemiologic research findings) and the reactive (e.g., coordinated op-ed campaigns).   Our discipline also is witnessing ongoing changes in education and training.  For example, distance education in epidemiology appears to be proliferating and the College should play a role in understanding how and why this approach is spreading as well as considering initiatives that promote quality instruction.  Other areas that have been recent focal points for the College also deserve continued attention.  Initiatives integrating students into professional societies need to develop further, programs promoting thoughtful mentoring of junior colleagues have to be cultivated, and the College’s annual meeting must continue to be an invigorating experience for attendees.  Further, as our collective experience under HIPAA and various data sharing arrangements grows, the College can continue to be a leader by reviewing and sharpening guidelines and policies related to key data access issues.  And, finally, as epidemiology continues its evolution toward larger studies rich in data spanning from the contextual to the “-omic,” the College should find ways to promote intellectual interchange with other scientific disciplines also grappling with analogous dense and complex data sets.  If elected to the Board, my energies would go toward helping the College move further in all these areas.

Charles A. Oke, VMD, MPH:  is the Senior Medical Epidemiologist in the Office of the Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), NIOSH, National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory in Pittsburgh, PA. Dr. Oke is a Fellow of the American College of Epidemiology and serves on the Admissions Committee, Minority Affairs Committee and is a liason to the Membership Committee. He was a Member of ACE from 1990-1995 and served on the Ethics and Standards of Practice committee. He returned to ACE as a Fellow in 2006.

Background: Dr. Oke earned his VMD degree from the University of Ibadan, College of Veterinary Medicine in 1979. He earned his MPH from the University of Texas, School of Public Health in Houston in 1983. He was admitted to the CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS)  Fellowship in 1987. He has been an administrator, clinician, clinical biologist and epidemiologist at the Laboratory, Hospital, County, State, National, International, Corporate and Academia levels. He has earned twice in his career at CDC the Secretary’s Award for Distinguished Service for extraordinary teamwork, productivity and scientific excellence. He has also been awarded HHS Certificate of Appreciation for Public Engagement for helping to make the soundest decisions possible about the use of Pandemic Influenza vaccine. In 2008, Dr. Oke developed and defended to the National Academy of Sciences – Institute of Medicine, Committee on Personal Protective Equipment (COPPE) the national proposal on “Demonstration and Sentinel PPE Usage Surveillance System in Healthcare Workers in the US”. He was adjunct clinical faculty at University of Texas , North Texas and Michigan.

Statement: I am honored and humbled to be nominated for a position on the ACE Board of Directors (BOD).  ACE is a great epidemiological organization that advocates for policy, credentialing and supports practicing epidemiologists and prospective epidemiologists. I believe that ACE must sell herself better to all. A marketing guru once told me about a marketing truism that “if you cannot tell someone why they should buy whatever it is that you are selling in ten seconds, you are either selling the wrong thing, selling to the wrong person or you are the wrong person to sell it. We need to develop a “ten second” marketing statement for ACE of What, Why, Who, Where and How. An Unequivocal, Short and to the point statement answering the question “Why join ACE?”. Brevity has many advantages: Policy development, Advocacy, Prestige, Mentorship, Fellowship, Power of “n”, Recognition, Career development and enhancement would go a long way. It will continue to be very important to deliver the goods. I have a good understanding of why members join, why they leave and why they come back. How? I have been there. I was a Member of ACE from 1990-1995 and served on the Ethics and Standards of Practice committee. I left in1996 and returned to ACE as a Fellow in 2006.

Allen Wilcox, MD, PhD, is a senior investigator in the Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIH), and Editor-in-Chief of EPIDEMIOLOGY.

Background:  Dr. Wilcox completed his medical degree at the University of Michigan in 1973 and his PhD in epidemiology at the University of North Carolina in 1979. Since 1979, he has been an epidemiologist at the National Institute of Environmental Sciences (NIEHS, NIH) in North Carolina, where he served as Chief of the Epidemiology Branch from 1991 to 2001. His research interests focus largely on reproduction and pregnancy (fertility, pregnancy loss, fetal growth, birth defects). He is author of a textbook titled “Pregnancy and Reproduction: An Epidemiologic Perspective” to be published by Oxford University Press later this year.

He is a past president of the Society for Pediatric and Perinatal Epidemiologic Research (SPER), the Society for Epidemiologic Research (SER) and the American Epidemiologic Society (AES). He holds an honorary doctoral degree from the University of Bergen (Norway).  He has been a Fellow in the American College of Epidemiology since 1991, and recently participated in an ACE workshop on the theme of translating epidemiologic results into policy action.  

Statement:  The ACE has emerged as a major force in our field due in no small part to its willingness to tackle policy issues. By advocating policies that encourage our scientific work and advance its public health applications, ACE performs a unique and essential role. The importance of this function has become all the more clear to me in my job as a journal editor. Journals can provide a forum for policy discussions, and among the topics discussed in our journal in recent years have been such issues as whether epidemiologists should make their data publicly available, and what constitutes conflict of interest – topics that ACE has also addressed or is currently working on.

There are of course important challenges facing our field in addition to matters of policy. They include the implications of “big science” for the kind of work we do, the prospects of conducting epidemiologic research in a era of shrinking research funds, and how best to prepare young epidemiologists to work effectively in this changing research environment.  I would welcome the opportunity to join with other ACE members in tackling these issues.

Christine M. Arcari is an Assistant Professor of Epidemiology in the Departments of Preventive Medicine and Community Health and Internal Medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston.

Background:  Dr. Arcari received her MPH from the University of South Florida, College of Public Health and her Ph.D. from the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health.  Prior to joining UTMB, she worked at the University of Wisconsin and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  Her research area of interest is the intersection of chronic and infectious diseases.  Most recently, she is focusing on health disparities in chronic liver disease and liver cancer and the role of viral hepatitis.  She is actively involved in teaching epidemiology and mentoring graduate and MPH students.  Dr. Arcari has been a member of ACE since 2003 and has served on the ACE Associate Member Taskforce.

Statement:  I am honored to be nominated for a position on the Board of Directors of the American College of Epidemiology.  I believe strongly in the goals of the college: advocating for policies and actions that enhance the science and practice of epidemiology; promoting the professional development of epidemiologists through educational initiatives; recognizing excellence in epidemiology; and developing and maintaining an active membership base of both Fellows and Members representing all aspects of epidemiology. An essential function of ACE is to address threats to the practice of epidemiology, such as the work ACE has done on the HIPAA Privacy Rule.  ACE has been at the forefront of the profession in the formulation of policy.  As a Board member, I will work to make sure that ACE continues to be a leader in this area.  In particular, I would like to continue the work ACE has done on the NIH peer review process and the promotion of epidemiology at NIH and elsewhere.  I will work to maintain close collaboration with other epidemiology organizations which is necessary for successful policy formulation.  ACE also serves an important function for the continuing education and professional development of epidemiologists.  This is achieved in part by the stellar scientific value of the annual meeting program and the journal.  I would like to see ACE expand efforts in professional development with web-based educational and networking opportunities.  The field of epidemiology is rapidly moving forward and ACE needs to be proactive in the continuing education of its membership.  I believe the greatest asset of ACE is its membership.  In particular, I appreciate the variety of epidemiologists from all areas, government, industry, and academia.  I feel it is vital for ACE to find ways to actively engage the current membership and I would make this a priority as a Board member.  I would also like to continue efforts to expand membership with an emphasis on minorities, students, and early career epidemiologists in all settings.    

Sherry L. Laurent, M.S.N., Ph.D. is the Executive Director of the R. Stuart Dickson Institute for Health Studies and Assistant Vice President of Research for Carolinas Healthcare System, the third largest not-for-profit healthcare system in the country.  In addition she is adjunct Professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and serves on the Public Health Advisory Board for the University.  

Background: Dr. Laurent earned a PhD in Epidemiology from the University of South Carolina and a MSN from Catholic University. She has worked as a researcher and epidemiologist for over 20 years, and served on the faculty of Pennsylvania State University School of Medicine and Queens College School of Nursing prior to joining a large healthcare system in 1990. Most recently she has been a Director of Research Epidemiology, Director of Research Planning and Evaluation, Chairman of an Institutional Scientific Research Review Committee, and Vice Chairman of the Institutional Human Subjects Review Board. Her areas of research have focused on women’s health, improving clinical outcomes for populations who are hospitalized, profiling communities targeting high risk populations who are medically underserved, and utilizing large databases to improve the quality of health care. In 2004 she received the Computerworld’s Honor Laureate Award in the category of Medicine. Most recently her research has focused on critical outcomes in interventional cardiology. She was the co-principal investigator and data coordinating center manager for a 30,000 patient cardiac Stent Registry, and she now serves in that same capacity for a large international multi-site study assessing platelet aggregation for patients receiving drug eluting cardiac stents.

Statement: I am honored to be nominated to the Board of Directors of the American College of Epidemiology. As an ACE Board member my efforts would focus on increasing the visibility and role of the College and epidemiology as the foundation for improving population health and health care delivery within our country.  Our current health care system is shattered and the demands for repairing it grow more forceful each day. I believe the contributions that epidemiology can make in the areas of healthcare delivery assessments and evaluation of clinical outcomes, critical to the successful repair of our system, have yet to be recognized by the policy and decision makers in Washington. As population demographics change there will be increased stressors put on the system and the ability of epidemiologists to monitor disease progression as the natural history of diseases evolve and to improve medical decision making through the use of clinical epidemiologic tools will be critical to the success of any changes that are implemented or  considered. I believe it is the responsibility of the College to be flexible and responsive to the needs of its members and the country, as well as to the demands that are placed on them during this evolution. I would like to serve the membership through the promotion and support of our perspectives and mission as it confronts the pressures of these unpredictable times in health care.

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