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Awards and appointments, September 2008

By Adam Overland

Ira Moscovice has been named head of the School of Public Health's Division of Health Policy and Management.

September 24

The National Institutes of Health announced today that University of Minnesota chemistry assistant professor Christy Haynes is a recipient of the prestigious 2008 New Innovator Award. She is the first U of M faculty member to win this award which will provide $1.5 million over five years for her research to build a cell-by-cell human immune system to identify potential therapeutic approaches for treating allergic reactions and asthma. Haynes was appointed as a chemistry assistant professor at the U in 2005. In 2007, she received a McKnight Land-Grant Professorship, which honors the university's most promising junior faculty. Haynes' areas of expertise include analytical chemistry and chemical biology. She received her bachelor's degree in chemistry from Macalester College and her master's and doctoral degrees in chemistry from Northwestern University.

Ira Moscovice, director of the School of Public Health's (SPH) Rural Health Research Center and a noted expert on rural health policy, has been named head of the SPH's Division of Health Policy and Management. Moscovice has been a faculty member at the University since 1981. His research interests include assessment of quality of care provided by rural health professionals, analysis of technology diffusion in rural areas, and evaluation of the implementation and impact of rural health networks and managed care. Moscovice was also named a Mayo Professor of Public Health, the SPH's highest faculty honor. He received his Ph.D. in administrative sciences from Yale University. Moscovice will also serve as a member of the SPH executive team comprised of division heads, associate, and assistant deans.

Deborah Swackhamer has been appointed as chair of the EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB). Swackhamer is professor of environmental health sciences and co-director of the Water Resources Center at the U. She brings extensive research and experience applying science to environmental protection. An internationally recognized expert on toxic chemicals in freshwater lakes and rivers, her research interests focus on chemical and biological processes affecting the behavior and fate of toxic organic contaminants such as PCBs, dioxins, and pesticides in the aquatic environment, particularly bioaccumulation of persistent compounds in fish. The SAB is an independently chartered Federal Advisory Committees composed of external scientists and engineers. Its principal mission includes reviewing the quality and relevance of the scientific and technical information being used or proposed as the basis for EPA regulations. Swackhamer will serve a two-year term. For more information, see the news release.

The Minnesota Medical Foundation (MMF) has hired Sarah Youngerman as vice president of marketing and communications. Youngerman has eight years of experience at the U, most recently as director of community and public affairs for the Academic Health Center. She joined the MMF staff on September 22, 2008. Youngerman's role at the Academic Health Center (AHC) included leading public relations efforts concerning the University's biomedical research program, the University and Mayo Clinic Partnership, and a variety of policy issues at the state and federal level. She came to the University in 2000 as manager of media and public relations for the AHC and in 2004 served as interim director of the University News Service.

Michael Rodriguez will receive the Distinguished Alumni Award during the Distinguished Alumni Award and Cougar Hall of Fame Dinner October 3. Presented by the Morris Alumni Association Board, the award honors UMM alumni who have made noteworthy contributions in their professional lives, in public service, or in service to the U. Rodriguez is an associate professor of quantitative methods in education in the Department of Educational Psychology in the College of Education and Human Development.

September 17

Chuck Miner has been named deputy chief of the University of Minnesota Police Department (UMPD). Miner has been with the UMPD since 1995 and has steadily worked his way up through the ranks. He was promoted to lieutenant in 2002 after serving as an officer, detective, and sergeant in the department. Miner is a 1989 graduate of Minnesota State University, Mankato and received his master's degree in public affairs from the Humphrey Institute in 2007. He is also a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's National Academy in Quantico, Virginia. The FBI National Academy is a 10-week leadership skills program for law enforcement executives from around the world. Miner's appointment is the result of an exhaustive search that began with the retirement of longtime deputy chief Steve Johnson.

September 10

James Campbell was presented with an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree Sept. 2 at the Carlson School of Management, in recognition of his public service contributions. Campbell is a business leader, volunteer and philanthropist. The honorary degree is the highest award conferred by the University of Minnesota. Campbell earned a bachelors degree in business administration from the U in 1964 and went to work for Norwest Bank, where he retired as CEO in 1998. Most recently, he served as chairman of Minnesota's Itasca Project, an employer-led alliance to address regional issues that impact the region's future economic competitiveness and quality of life. He previously served as interim co-dean of the Carlson School of Management and has served as a chair and member of the Carlson School's Board of Overseers. Campbell is a past chairman of the University of Minnesota Foundation Board of Directors and past director and trustee for many community organizations. He is a recipient of the Outstanding Achievement and Regents' Awards from the University of Minnesota, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the NAACP and the 2003 "Executive of the Year" Award from the Business Journal, as well as many other honors.

The Humphrey Institute named Margaret Chutich assistant dean of the college.

The Humphrey Institute named Margaret Chutich assistant dean of the college. She will be responsible for advancing the Institute's strategic goals and mission while promoting student and community life through the Office of Student Experience. Chutich begins Sept. 22. Chutich will join the Humphrey Institute after a long tenure at the Office of the Minnesota Attorney General where she worked in various capacities, including time as deputy attorney general of law enforcement (1996-98) and as assistant attorney general (1999-2008, 1992-94) in the criminal and human services divisions. She also worked as an assistant U.S. attorney for the District of Minnesota from 1994-96. For more information, see the news release.

The University of Minnesota's Humphrey Institute named Hugh Parmer as a research fellow with its regional planning and policy area. Parmer will explore disaster relief issues, such as the interaction of nongovernmental agencies with local jurisdictions in the event of natural catastrophes. Parmer is the immediate past president of the American Refugee Committee, a Twin Cities-based international humanitarian relief agency that serves nearly three million refugees and displaced people in Africa and Asia annually. His experience at the city, county, state and federal levels of government includes serving as mayor of Fort Worth, Texas; president pro tem of the Texas State Senate; assistant administrator at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID); and staff in the Office of Emergency Management within the Office of the President during the Clinton Administration.

The Agriculture Department at UMC hired three new faculty members including Margot Rudstrom, in agricultural business and economics; Henry Wilson in soil science; and ADawn Melbye in equine science. They join Chuck Lariviere, and Terrill Bradford, who also have new positions in the department. Since January 7, 2008, UMC has added 12 new faculty members. For more information, see UMC faculty.

Seven individuals will be inducted into the University of Minnesota "M" Club Hall of Fame this September 18. This year's inductees into the Hall of Fame include Grant Johnson (men's basketball, 1936-38), Courtney Kennedy (women's hockey, 1998-2001), Dave Morrison (men's cross country/track & field, 1980-1985), Aubrey Schmitt (women's track & field, 1998-2001), Francis Twedell (football, 1936-1939), Murray Williamson (men's hockey 1957-1959) and Dan Wilson (baseball, 1988-1990. For more information, see M Club.