Career Achievement Awards
Joan K. Monin, PhD
Associate Professor of Public Health (Social and Behavioral Sciences)2024 Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research FellowJoan K. Monin, associate professor of public health (social and behavioral sciences), has been elected as a Fellow to the Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research.The Academy is the premier honorary scientific organization for scientists working at the interface of behavior and medicine. Election to the society is reserved for those with a proven record of national and international behavioral medicine research excellence. The academy comprises several hundred eminent senior investigators, all of whom have been elected to membership through a highly selective process.Monin is the director of the Yale School of Public Health’s Social Gerontology and Health Lab, and her research expertise focuses on how emotional and interpersonal processes affect health in older adult relationships.Emily Wang, MD, MAS
Professor of Medicine (General Medicine) and of Public Health (Social and Behavioral Sciences)2022 MacArthur FellowDr. Emily Wang, Professor of Medicine (General Medicine) at Yale School of Medicine and Professor of Public Health (Social and Behavioral Sciences) at Yale School of Public Health, has been named a 2022 MacArthur Fellow by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation for her work on improving the health of individuals and communities affected by mass incarceration.The fellowship, which was created in 1981, is presented to individuals in a variety of fields who have shown exceptional originality in and dedication to their creative pursuits. Nominations are submitted anonymously by leaders in their respective fields.Saad B. Omer, MBBS, MPH, PhD, FIDSA
Director, Yale Institute for Global Health; Associate Dean (Global Health Research), Yale School of Medicine; Harvey and Kate Cushing Professor of Medicine (Infectious Diseases); Professor of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health; Adjunct Professor, Yale School of Nursing2022 Elected Member - National Academy of MedicineSaad B. Omer, MBBS, MPH, PhD; has been elected to the prestigious National Academy of Medicine. Omer has conducted studies in the United States, Guatemala, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, South Africa, and Australia. He has conducted landmark studies on maternal immunization, as well as on interventions to reduce vaccine refusal, and has conducted consequentialist research during the COVID-19 pandemic. His work has been cited in global and country-specific policy recommendations and has informed public health practice, clinical vaccine recommendations, and legislation in the United States and globally.New members are elected by current members through a process that recognizes individuals who have made major contributions to the advancement of the medical sciences, health care, and public health.Nathan Grubaugh, PhD
Associate Professor of Epidemiology (Microbial Diseases); Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health Associate Professor
2022 National Institutes of Health (NIH) New Innovator Award
Nathan Grubaugh has received a prestigious New Innovator Award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in recognition of his potentially transformative biomedical research as a young career investigator. The award, part of NIH’s High-Risk, High-Reward Research Program, is given to highly innovative scientists who propose visionary and broadly impactful behavioral and biomedical research projects. As part of the award, Grubaugh and the Grubaugh Lab at YSPH will receive a $1.5 million, five-year grant from NIH to continue their groundbreaking work investigating new ways to apply genomic surveillance to better identify and understand the genetically complex variants of the dengue virus.
Sten Vermund, MD, PhD
Anna M.R. Lauder Professor of Public Health; Professor of Pediatrics, Yale School of Medicine
2022 Featured Lecturer - John F. Enders Lecture
Dr. Sten Vermund, an international leader in HIV/AIDS and global health research and policy, will give the prestigious John F. Enders Lecture Oct. 22 in Washington, D.C. The lecture is one of the highest honors bestowed by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA). The Infectious Diseases Society of America’s annual Enders Lecture is delivered during IDWeek, the nation’s prestigious annual joint conference of the IDSA, the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, the HIV Medicine Association, and the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society. An infectious disease epidemiologist and pediatrician for over 40 years, Vermund’s work has focused on diseases in resource-limited settings.
Paul Anastas, PhD
Professor of Epidemiology (Environmental Health Sciences); Teresa and H. John Heinz III Professor in the Practice of Chemistry for the Environment
2022 August Wilhelm von Hofmann Medal as co-founder of green chemistry
Professor Paul Anastas, widely considered the “father of green chemistry,” was honored Sept. 1 with the prestigious August Wilhelm von Hofmann Commemorative Medal by the German Chemistry Society. Past recipients of the medal have gone on to receive the Nobel Prize in chemistry. Also honored was John Warner, a distinguished research fellow at the Zymergen Corporation and one of the founders of the Warner Babcock Institute for Green Chemistry. The pair are considered the co-founders of the concept of green chemistry, also known as sustainable chemistry, which focuses on the design of products and processes that minimize or eliminate the use of hazardous substances. Anastas and Warner established a foundation for the field of green chemistry with the 1998 publication of their seminal book Green Chemistry: Theory and Practice, in which they outlined 12 distinct principles of green chemistry.
Nancy Ruddle, PhD
Professor Emeritus of Epidemiology
2022 Distinguished Fellow - The American Association of Immunologists
Nancy Ruddle is a pioneering immunologist who discovered lymphotoxin, an immune signaling molecule, and demonstrated its roles and mechanisms in cytotoxicity, autoimmune diseases and in lymph node development. Her work was fundamental to the understanding of lymphoid cells that are damaging in autoimmunity but can be key to defense against microorganisms and tumors. She has authored or co-authored more than 200 scientific articles over her impactful career.
Heping Zhang, PhD
Susan Dwight Bliss Professor of Biostatistics, Professor in the Child Study Center and Professor of Statistics and Data Science
2022 Neyman Memorial Lecture - Institute of Mathematical StatisticsHeping Zhang has distinguished himself through pioneering work in a variety of fields, including epidemiology, statistical genetics, child and women’s health and substance use. He has published more than 300 publications that have helped to inform public health practice through innovative developments and applications of statistical methods. He and his students are actively investigating how genetics affects complex human conditions, including neurological development and COVID-19 related mortality.
Paul Anastas, PhD
Professor of Epidemiology (Environmental Health Sciences)
2021 Laureate - Volvo Environment Prize
Known as the “father of green chemistry,” Paul Anastas directs the Center for Green Chemistry and Green Engineering at the Yale School of the Environment. He has formerly helped lead the Environmental Protection Agency and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Dr. Anastas has published widely on topics of science through sustainability including eleven books, such as Benign by Design, Designing Safer Polymers, Green Engineering, and his seminal work with co-author John Warner, Green Chemistry: Theory and Practice.
Marcella Nunez-Smith, MD, MHS
Associate Dean for Health Equity Research
2021 Elected Member - National Academy of Medicine
Marcella Nunez-Smith’s research focuses on promoting health and healthcare equity for structurally marginalized populations with an emphasis on centering community engagement, supporting healthcare workforce diversity and development, developing patient reported measurements of healthcare quality, and identifying regional strategies to reduce the global burden of non-communicable diseases. Dr. Nunez-Smith also directs the Equity Research and Innovation Center and chairs the White House Covid-19 Health Equity Task Force, among other positions at Yale and beyond.
Serap Aksoy, PhD
Interim Department Chair and Professor of Epidemiology (Microbial Diseases); Acting Chair, Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases
2021 Elected Member - National Academy of SciencesSerap Aksoy’s research focuses on the biological and epidemiological basis of mammalian host-pathogen-insect vector interactions, particularly focusing on tsetse flies and parasitic African trypanosomes they vector. At Yale, her laboratory focuses on the development of novel methods to ultimately reduce tsetse populations in the field, or to reduce their ability to transmit disease. Her research in Uganda is on the epidemiology of Sleeping Sickness disease, with a focus on populations genetics of flies and parasites and their endosymbionts.
Nancy Ruddle, PhD
Professor Emeritus of Epidemiology
2021 Connecticut Medal of Science, State of Connecticut, Connecticut Academy of Science and EngineeringNancy Ruddle is a pioneering immunologist who discovered lymphotoxin, an immune signaling molecule, and demonstrated its roles and mechanisms in cytotoxicity, autoimmune diseases and in lymph node development. Her work was fundamental to the understanding of lymphoid cells that are damaging in autoimmunity but can be key to defense against microorganisms and tumors. She has authored or co-authored more than 200 scientific articles over her impactful career.
Sten Vermund, MD, PhD
Dean, Yale School of Public Health
2021 Excellence in Innovation Award - New Haven Symphony OrchestraThe New Haven Symphony Orchestra has recognized the Yale School of Public Health with its Excellence in Innovation award for helping arts venues during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Wasting no time, the school worked collaboratively to provide timely information to society in general while also being a leader and compassionate neighbor to our local community,” the citation read. Dean Sten Vermund accepted the award on behalf of YSPH in March 2021.
Katie Wang, PhD
Assistant Professor of Public Health (Social and Behavioral Sciences)
2021 Rising Star - Association for Psychological ScienceKatie Wang's research broadly focuses on the role of stigma as a psychosocial determinant of mental and behavioral health disparities among diverse marginalized populations. Dr. Wang is also involved in a number of projects that examines the health inequities facing people with disabilities, including a mixed-method study on the mental health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the disability community.
Albert Ko, MD
Raj and Indra Nooyi Professor of Public Health and Professor of Epidemiology (Microbial Diseases); Chair, Department of Epidemiology (Microbial Diseases)
2021 Elected Member, The Association of American PhysiciansAlbert Ko’s research centers on the health problems that have emerged as a consequence of rapid urbanization and social inequity. He coordinates a research and training program on urban slum health in Brazil and is conducting prospective community-based studies on rat-borne leptospirosis, dengue, meningitis and respiratory infections. He is Program Director at Yale for the Fogarty Global Health Equity Scholars Program. Ko also has been an important advisor to the governor of Connecticut on the state’s emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Michelle Bell, PhD
Mary E. Pinchot Professor of Environmental Health
2020 Elected Member - National Academy of MedicineMichelle Bell’s research investigates how human health is affected by environmental conditions, including air pollution and weather. Other research interests include the health impacts of climate change and environmental justice. She is also the Director of the EPA-funded Solutions to Energy, Air, Climate, and Health (SEARCH) Center.