Christina DeRienzo, education coordinator for the South Carolina Poison Center at the USC College of Pharmacy, has been elected to the Board of Directors of America's Poison Centers, the national organization that supports the country's poison center network. 
America's Poison Centers provides expert advice from nationally accredited medical specialists and maintains the nation's only near real-time poisoning data surveillance system. The organization also ensures a national quality standard for the detection, prevention and treatment of toxin-related health emergencies.

As a board member, DeRienzo shares responsibility for the strategic leadership and governance of the national network of 53 U.S. poison centers. Her role includes oversight of the association's mission and strategic direction, financial stewardship, policy, accreditation, and national poison data and surveillance. The goal is to advance public health and clinical toxicology.

“Being elected to the Board of Directors for America's Poison Centers is both an honor and an opportunity to represent the South Carolina Poison Center on a national level,” DeRienzo says. “It gives our center a voice in conversations that shape the future of poison center services, including policy, accreditation, national data and surveillance, and the strategic direction of the poison center network.”

DeRienzo says her efforts on the board will center on the core mission of the poison center, including raising the profile of poison centers nationwide.

“Poison centers are among the most valuable yet underrecognized resources in healthcare and public health,” she says. “We must continue to elevate our national visibility and demonstrate our value to healthcare professionals, policymakers, and the communities we serve.”

Her goal, she says, is to ensure poison centers remain an essential part of the healthcare and public health infrastructure.

“After nearly 20 years at the South Carolina Poison Center, being elected by my peers is especially meaningful,” she says. “I have spent a significant part of my career committed to the work of poison centers and the communities we serve. To have the opportunity to share that experience at the national level is both humbling and rewarding.”