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Alumni in the Spotlight |
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2009 Distinguished Service Award
David L. Katz, MD, MPH ‘93 is an internationally recognized authority on nutrition, weight management, and the prevention of chronic disease. David earned his MPH from the Yale University School of Public Health in 1993 and his MD from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine, and Preventive Medicine/Public Health, and an Associate Professor (adjunct) in Public Health Practice at the Yale University School of Medicine. David is the Director and founder of Yale University’s Prevention Research Center; Director and founder of the Integrative Medicine Center at Griffin Hospital in Derby, CT; and founder and president of the non-profit Turn the Tide Foundation. He is a former Director of Medical Studies in Public Health at the Yale School of Medicine, and a co-founder and former director of one of the nation’s first combined residency training programs in Internal Medicine and Preventive Medicine. David has published over 100 scientific papers and chapters, and 11 books to date; he has acquired and managed some $25 million in research funds. A prominent medical journalist and commentator, David formerly served as a medical contributor to ABC News with routine appearances on Good Morning America. He is currently the nutrition columnist for O, the Oprah Magazine; a health columnist for the New York Times Syndicate; and an editorial advisor and blogger for Prevention Magazine. David has twice been recognized by the Consumers Research Council of America as one of America’s top physicians in Preventive Medicine and has won numerous awards for his teaching and his contributions to public health. David is widely recognized as an exceptional orator, and an inspiring champion of health promotion/disease prevention. The owner of 5 U.S. patents, David is the principal inventor of the Overall Nutritional Quality Index (ONQ I) algorithm (www.nuval.com). He and his wife, Catherine, have 5 children. 2009 Eric W. Mood New Professional Award
As a molecular epidemiologist focusing on infectious diseases of women and young children, Dr. Melinda Pettigrew’s research is driven by a desire to understand processes that influence the dynamic gradient between seemingly asymptomatic bacterial colonization and clinically apparent disease. The organisms and clinical syndromes she studies are diverse and include otitis media and empyema caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae and urogenital infections cause by Chlamydia trachomatis. Her research requires an understanding of epidemiology, microbiology, and statistics. Melinda’s graduate studies at YSPH were critical in providing her with the interdisciplinary training needed to successfully conduct these studies. Melinda’s contributions to public health extend beyond her research. She is recognized as a committed teacher. One student writes that Melinda, “opens up our minds to diseases and how they are caused - helping us to fully understand how we can contribute to the fight against them as public health officials.” As a member of the YSPH Education Committee, she has worked to provide students a rich and focused educational experience. She has served on the YSPH diversity committee since 2003. In conjunction with the YSM Office of Multicultural Affairs, Melinda has served as a mentor and lecturer in several programs that have the long-term goal of increasing the number of low income and minority students who gain advanced degrees and careers in the biomedical sciences. At the national level, Melinda has served as a grant reviewer on four different NIH study sections and has been a member of the Governing Council of the American Public Health Association. Melinda also writes for IDSA News, an online publication produced by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. The mission of IDSA is to improve health by promoting excellence in patient care, education, research, public health, and prevention relating to infectious diseases. Through her commitment to research, teaching, and service, Melinda has demonstrated significant promise as a leader in the field of public health. 2008 Distinguished Alumni Award
Dr. Robert Steele received his MPH from the Yale School of Public Health (YSPH) and a Ph.D. in Psychology from Yale University. He also has a M.Div. from the Episcopal Divinity School and completed his undergraduate study at Morehouse College. Steele joined the faculty at the University of Maryland in 1975. Currently, he serves as executive director of the University’s David C. Driskell Center and as an associate professor in the Department of Psychology. Steele remains active within the Yale community by giving his time, talent and treasure. He has been a board member of the Association of Yale Alumni in Public Health since 2001, and served as president from 2004–2007. Steele’s interest in supporting future public health professionals led him to become a founder and principal benefactor of the Creed/Patton/Steele Endowed Scholarship Fund at the YSPH. In 2006, he received a Nathan Hale Award in recognition of his commitment to and support of YSPH and its alumni. Steele also served on the Board of Governors of the Association of Yale Alumni. In addition to his commitment to YSPH, Steele has a passion for the arts. Since 2003, he has served on the Governing Board of the Yale Art Gallery; and established an endowment fund for the Gallery. He and his wife Jean have an extensive collection of African–American traditional and non-traditional printmaking art. The couple has generously donated 27 pieces from their collection to the Yale Art Gallery. Steele has received the following honors: a Rockefeller Fellowship, a Yale University Fellowship and an appointment by President Carter to the President’s Commission on Mental Health, Task Force on Religious Support Systems. He is a member of the American Psychological Association, the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, the Religious Research Association, and the National Association of Black Psychologists. 2008 Award for Excellence
In 1925, Dr. Virginia Alexander completed her M.D. at Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania and looked to hospitals in her native Philadelphia to finish her practical training. At that time, African–American physicians were routinely discriminated against by many medical institutions, and no Philadelphia hospital would accept Alexander for training. She completed her internship at the Kansas City General Hospital; which at the time was the designated hospital for people of color. Within a few years, she returned to Philadelphia where she ran her own community health clinic and served on the faculty of the Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania. In 1931, Alexander founded the Aspiranto Health Home Clinic which she operated out of her own home. She was dedicated to serving Philadelphia’s poor, focusing much of her time on new mothers and their babies. In 1941, Alexander earned her M.P.H. at Yale University and accepted a position at Howard University in Washington, D.C, where she was appointed physician–in–charge of women students. She also ran a private health practice and worked for the U.S. Department of Health. During World War II many communities were desperate to find medical care since most physicians were dispatched to military bases. Recognizing the need for civilian medical care, Alexander volunteered and was assigned to the coal fields in Birmingham, Alabama, to treat coal and iron miners living in extreme poverty. She died at the age of 49 from Lupus, an autoimmune disease. 2008 Eric W. Mood New Professionals Award
On any given day of the week, you can find Dr. Keshia Pollack in East Baltimore meeting with a student, teaching, or conducting research as a faculty member at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. You might also see her in Annapolis, where she works for Delegate Dan Morhaim, a member of the Maryland General Assembly. Or, you may find her at a meeting of the Associated Black Charities, where she is an advisor to a community coalition seeking to alleviate the burden of childhood obesity in Baltimore. Whether it is any of these activities, or a number of others, Keshia is focused on addressing the health needs of some of the most vulnerable populations. She has done this with zeal, dedication, and vision. Since graduating from Yale in 2002, Pollack completed her Ph.D. at Johns Hopkins University and began conducting research to reduce the burden of traumatic injuries, violence, and obesity in the workplace and community. In her role as an assistant professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Pollack is a core faculty member of three research centers: the Center for Injury Research and Policy, the Center for Occupational Safety and Health, and the Center for Health Disparities Solutions. Through her involvement with these centers, Keshia conducts pragmatic research with a focus on their implications for policy development. Pollack’s interest in public health began during her undergraduate training in Sociology and Community Health at Tufts University. Her interest in public health blossomed as she pursued her M.P.H. in Chronic Disease Epidemiology at Yale. Through her didactic and practical experiences, Pollack has developed into a leader engaged in myriad activities that advance the mission of public health “…assuring the conditions in which people can be healthy.” Cleve L. Killingsworth, 2007 John D. Thompson Distinguished Visiting Fellow
The John D. Thompson Distinguished Visiting Fellow program honors Professor John D. Thompson and his distinguished contribution as an educator and researcher in health administration, including his pioneering work in developing the Medicare payment system. The fellowship program brings a leader in health administration to EPH each year to share their career experiences with students and discuss emerging challenges in health administration. This year, the honor of becoming the John D. Thompson Distinguished Visiting Fellow of 2007 was bestowed upon Cleve L. Killingsworth, M.P.H. ’76, President and Chief Executive Officer of Blue Cross Blue Shield Massachusetts. Killingsworth is a former president and CEO of Health Alliance Plan in Detroit, one of Michigan's largest managed care companies providing value to its more than 500,000 members. He has served as the senior vice president of insurance and managed care for Henry Ford Health System and also as president of Kaiser Permanente’s Central East Division, including the mid-Atlantic states and Ohio. Killingsworth has taught at the School of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Rochester Medical Center, in health services administration at the Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania, and was a lecturer at the Yale School of Public Health. Katrina Clark, Recipient of Community Recognition Award
The Community Recognition Award acknowledges in a tangible way that the community plays a vital role in many of the ongoing educational and research projects conducted by the school. The award was presented to Katrina Clark, '71 M.P.H., who has been the Executive Director of the Fair Haven Community Health Center (the Center) since 1973. Clark's vision and leadership has helped the Center grow from a small, free clinic to an extensive community health center with a budget of nearly $8 million and a staff of 120 that serves 12,000 patients in New Haven's Fair Haven neighborhood. In presenting the award to Clark, Michael Merson, Anna M.R. Lauder Professor and former dean of public health, stated that Clark has brought “ideas and inspiration to collaborative efforts in primary care, housing, substance abuse, and environmental equity,” and has been “a spokesperson and a voice for those vulnerable populations which the Fair Haven Community Health Center serves.” Clark's community activities include helping to found and serving on the board of an HMO for Connecticut Medicaid patients, and working with other community health center directors on a statewide association. Clark has been a Lecturer in Public Health at EPH since 1974, and has frequently advised M.P.H. students. Her numerous awards include the 1986 Peace Corps 25th Anniversary Sargent Shriver Award, the 1994 Outstanding Community Service Award from the Community Action Agency, the 1998 C-E.A. Winslow Award from the Connecticut Public Health Association, and the 2001 Puerto Rican & Latino Community Service Award. The Wilbur Lucius Cross MedalistsThe Wilbur Lucius Cross Medal is an honor presented each year by the Graduate School Alumni Association to a small number of outstanding alumni. The medal recognizes distinguished achievements in scholarship, teaching, academic administration, and public service, at all of which the legendary Dean Cross excelled. Wilbur Lucius Cross himself was a scholar of distinction in English literature. He taught at the Sheffield Scientific School, the precursor to Yale's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and served as Dean during the Graduate School's reorganization into its present form. As editor, he rejuvenated the Yale Review. For more information on The Wilbur Lucius Cross Medal please visit the Association of Yale Alumni Web site. Wilbur Cross Medalists from EPH:1999 Rosemary A. Stevens, Ph.D., '68
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