September 14, 2020 | Erin Bluvas, bluvase@sc.edu
Halfway through her three-year term on the American College of Epidemiology’s (ACE) Board of Directors, Jan Eberth has been elected to lead the organization. Eberth, who is an associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and the director of the Rural and Minority Health Research Center, will serve as president-elect during the 2020-2021 year, which begins after ACE’s annual meeting this fall, and then as president in 2021-2022.
Incorporated in 1979, ACE has benefited from the guidance of leading epidemiologists who have served as College presidents. In joining these ranks, Eberth will serve as an elected member of the executive committee and lead the board of directors. In these leadership roles, she will help the College achieve its goals related to the continued education and advocacy for epidemiologists in their efforts to promote good science and public health.
“The American College of Epidemiology has increasingly embraced opportunities for mentoring at all career stages, multidisciplinary collaboration, and advocacy activities, situating the College as a professional home for a diverse group of epidemiologists,” Eberth says. “I plan to ‘step outside the box’ to ensure the College’s continued relevance to the field and will bring my energy and commitment to the job every day and work diligently with our management company and members to serve their needs.”
Eberth has been a member of ACE since 2007 and a Fellow since 2018. Her various service roles with the College have included serving as the associate member representative for the board of directors and chair/vice-chair of the communications committee. Eberth has served as an associate editor for ACE’s official journal, Annals of Epidemiology, since 2014.
In her current role on the board of directors, she has continued her efforts to expand the influence of ACE to the broader public health community. Specifically, she has advocated enhanced membership benefits, such as more opportunities for epidemiology education throughout the year. Eberth has also continued her involvement in the communications and mentoring committees.
Eberth joined the Arnold School in 2013 after completing a Ph.D. in Epidemiology from the University of Texas and a postdoctoral fellowship in health services research at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Her research examines disparities in access and quality of health care services in the United States, and she has led the Rural and Minority Health Research Center as deputy director and director for the past five years.
Additional leadership roles in her field include serving as an invited member of the National Lung Cancer Roundtable and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, a grant reviewer for the National Institutes of Health and an editorial board member for the Journal of Rural Health. Eberth’s efforts in the fields of epidemiology, cancer prevention/control and rural health have been recognized with the Breakthrough Star Award (2017) and Distinguished Research Service Award (2020) from the University of South Carolina’s Office of the Vice President for Research and the 2020 Outstanding Researcher of the Year Award from the National Rural Health Association.
Related:
Jan Eberth named 2020 Outstanding Researcher of the Year by National Rural Health Association
Jan Eberth elected to American College of Epidemiology’s board of directors
Public health researcher Jan Eberth measures access, quality of cancer prevention, treatment
Arnold School’s Jan Eberth (EPID/BIOS) and Daniel Fogerty (COMD) named 2017 Breakthrough Stars
Eberth and team find family physicians may have knowledge gaps re: lung cancer screening