Young Investigators in Public Health Selected

The CDC Foundation, with a $2 million grant from the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, has selected four “Young Investigators in Public Health” as part of a collaborative demonstration project between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Emory University. The goal of the program is to attract talented young scientists to public health research early in their careers.

The four Young Investigators are all junior health sciences faculty at Emory University. Each Young Investigator will conduct research that focuses on a priority public health issue, and each will be matched with a mentor from Emory University and a scientific advisor from CDC to assist with the research project.

The Young Investigators are:

Conrad R. Cole, M.D., M.P.H.
Assistant Professor
Emory University, Department of Pediatrics
Project: Impact of Zinc Deficiency in Low-Income U.S. Children

Barry M. Diner,
M.D.Assistant Professor
Emory University, Emergency Medicine Research Center
Project: A Prediction Rule to Identify Low-Risk Patients with Atrial Fibrillation

Ann Lang Dunlop, M.D., M.P.H.
Assistant Professor
Emory University, Department of Family and Preventative Medicine
Project: Evaluation of a Primary Care Intervention to Address Childhood Obesity

Frances H. Priddy, M.D., M.P.H.
Assistant Professor of Medicine (Infectious Disease)
The Hope Clinic of the Emory University Vaccine Research Center
Project: Development of a New HIV Prevention Method for Women

CDC scientists, Emory health scientists, and the CDC Foundation staff worked together to build Young Investigators in Public Health as a unique experience for young scientists that combines both academic research and its application in promoting and protecting the health of affected populations. Ultimately, the CDC Foundation hopes to secure ongoing funding for the program to help inspire and train the next generation of public health researchers who will continue the battle against health threats like obesity, diabetes and emerging infectious diseases.

The CDC Foundation, CDC and Emory University also hope to use Young Investigators in Public Health as a national model for similar collaborative programs that can introduce young scientists to public health research and that can connect scientists who conduct the research with community leaders and individuals who use the research to improve and protect health in their own communities, businesses and homes.