ACE President-Elect

Background: Dr. Ness received her MD from Cornell University, her MPH from Columbia University. She earned her black belt in karate in 2005. Dr. Ness has been a member of the ACE Board of Directors since 2004 and Chaired the ACE Policy Committee. Recently, she became the founding Chair of the Joint Policy Committee (JPC) Societies of Epidemiology - the first organization to coordinate joint policy actions among 14 epidemiology societies. The JPC recently completed a national survey of epidemiologists about HIPAA. Dr. Ness is an Associate Editor of the American Journal of Epidemiology, and on the editorial boards of Annals of Epidemiology, and WHO STD Bulletin. She is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and American College of Epidemiology, and a member of the prestigious American Society for Clinical Investigation, Delta Omega Honorary, and the American Epidemiologic Society (AES). She hosts the 2008 meeting of AES. Other honors include a Leadership Award from the Family Health Council and Laureate Award from the American College of Physicians. A frequent advisor to NIH, CDC, AHRQ, Department of Defense, and universities, she has participated in four Institute of Medicine, National Academies reports in the past 2 years. Dr. Ness has been at the forefront of women's health research, being one of the first to propose the research paradigm now termed "gender based biology" in her book entitled, Health and Disease Among Women (Oxford U Press, 1999). In 200 peer-reviewed publications and over 20 federally funded grants, Dr. Ness has explored the epidemiology of hormonal cancers; adverse pregnancy and perinatal outcomes; links between reproductive history and cardiovascular disease; and bacterial sexually transmitted infections.

Background: Dr. Trapido is the NCI representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Program of Action for Cancer (PACT). PACT develops, implements, and evaluates education, prevention, screening, and treatment programs in developing countries. He also coordinates international research at DCCPS (covering > 45 countries). Dr. Trapido is the NCI representative to the World Trade Center Late Emergent Diseases Working Group. Until 2006, Dr. Trapido was the Associate Director for the NCI’s Epidemiology and Genetics Research Program (EGRP), managing a comprehensive program of grant-supported research on cancer etiology and prevention. 400 grants ($225 million) were supported, including research in gene discovery, gene-gene/environment interactions, environmental epidemiology, tobacco, occupational exposures, energy balance, medications, infectious diseases, clinical epidemiology, health disparities, and survivorship. EGRP contributes ongoing financial support to ACE; this contribution began under Dr. Trapido’s leadership.

Previously, Dr. Trapido was Professor and Vice Chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of Miami School of Medicine, where he directed the M.P.H. and Ph.D. programs. Concurrently, he was Associate Director for Cancer Control at the UM Cancer Center. He directed the Cancer Information Service, the Florida Cancer Data System, the Florida Comprehensive Cancer Control Initiative, the Breast Cancer Detection Program, Redes en Accion, and the Tobacco Research/Evaluation Coordinating Center. Dr. Trapido’s research has focused on interventions on HIV, substance abuse, and aging.

Dr. Trapido planned the ACE 2007 25th Annual Meeting and has Chaired ACE’s Education Committee.

Background: Dr. Carter-Pokras is a fellow of the American College of Epidemiology, and member of the Executive Board of the American Public Health Association. Currently vice-chair of the ACE Minority Affairs Committee, Dr. Carter-Pokras earned a PhD in Epidemiology and a MHS in Biostatistics from Johns Hopkins University. She has conducted health disparities research in the Federal government (21+ years) and academia (4+ years). Her research has mainly focused on the intersection of epidemiology and health policy to address minority and Latino health, and children's environmental health. Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Maryland College Park, Dr. Carter-Pokras was an Associate Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine where she currently serves as adjunct faculty. The previous Director of the Division of Policy and Data, Office of Minority Health, Department of Health and Human Services; Dr. Carter-Pokras has been recognized by the Surgeon General, Assistant Secretary for Health and Latino Caucus of the American Public Health Association for her career achievements to improve racial and ethnic data and develop national health policy. Dr. Carter-Pokras is the Principal Investigator for a NHLBI cultural competency and health disparities academic award at the University of Maryland. In addition, Dr. Carter-Pokras teaches epidemiologic methods and study design. She is currently conducting health needs assessments of Latinos in Baltimore and Montgomery County in close partnership with local government and community-based organizations.

James G. Gurney, Ph.D. is an epidemiologist and Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Michigan.

Background: Dr. Gurney has an extensive background conducting childhood cancer research, first etiologic in nature, and more recently on treatment-related clinical and psychosocial outcomes among long-term survivors. He is involved in national efforts on cancer survivorship with the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study and the Children's Oncology Group. He was the 2001 recipient of the American Brain Tumor Association Award for Excellence in Epidemiology from the Society for Neuro-Oncology and received the Clinical Sciences Scholar Award from the University of Michigan in 2005. Dr. Gurney earned M.S. (1991) and Ph.D. (1994) degrees in epidemiology from the University of Washington in Seattle with training in cancer epidemiology at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. He also has an MSW from the University of Washington and worked for many years as a pediatric social worker before embarking on his career in epidemiology. Currently, Dr. Gurney is a senior faculty member of the Child Health Evaluation and Research Unit at Michigan and he leads the development of clinical health outcomes research teams in the Department of Pediatrics at UM. Dr. Gurney, a Fellow in ACE, has served on the Publications Committee since 2003, including Vice Chair from 2004-2006 and Chair since 2006. Closely related, he is an Associate Editor for the Annals of Epidemiology.

Background: Dr. Clark received her MPH from Boston University School of Public Health and her ScD from Harvard School of Public Health. Her research has focused on respiratory and allergic diseases, particularly asthma and anaphylaxis. She has been a member of ACE since 2001 and serves on the Membership, Admissions, and Communications Committees.