DSTDP Colleagues Awarded at 2006 National STD Prevention Conference

STD Colleagues Receive Awards

At the recent National STD Prevention Conference in Jacksonville, Florida, two Division of STD Prevention (DSTDP) colleagues received important awards.

DSTDP’s Associate Director for Science, Sevgi Aral, PhD, received the Thomas Parran Award. This distinguished award is presented annually to a member of the American STD Association for long and distinguished contributions in the field of STD research and prevention. Dr. Aral is the first woman since 1973, and the first sitting CDC employee to be honored with this award.

As the Associate Director of Science for DSTDP, Dr. Aral is responsible for the oversight and direction of all of the division's scientific activities including intramural and extramural research programs and science-program interactions. She is a mentor for both trainees and colleagues, advising on social science perspectives for bridging the gap between clinical epidemiology and behavior.

Dr. Aral’s research focuses on risk and preventive behaviors, gender differences, societal characteristics that influence STD and HIV rates, contextual issues, and effects of distinct types of sexual mixing on STD spread. Her research has been in both domestic and international settings, and her writings have included cross-cultural comparative analyses.

In addition to her post at CDC, Dr. Aral currently serves as a clinical professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine and is the Associate Editor of the scientific journals, Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Sexually Transmitted Infections.

In her Thomas Parran lecture, Social and Behavioral Determinants of STD 2006: Scientific and Technical Advances, Demography and the Global Political Economy, Dr. Aral, referencing poet Robert Frost, shared some thoughts that occurred to her as she reflected on things that are happening currently in science, technology, demography, and the global political economy. Her talk was a wide-ranging, thought-provoking survey of current thinking and implications for STDs.

DSTDP’s Chief, Program and Training Branch (proposed), Susan DeLisle, RN, MPH, APRN, received the Jack N. Spencer Award. This award honors an individual for a career of exceptional contributions to excellence in STD prevention characterized by outstanding commitment to science based programs, continuous innovation, and profound commitment to helping people. The award was presented by its namesake, longtime CDC employee Jack N. Spencer.

Ms. DeLisle started her STD and reproductive health related career in 1983 as a training specialist at the Center for Health Training in Seattle, Washington. Before coming to CDC in 1996, she also served as the Director of the Region 10 Infertility Prevention Project.

Ms. DeLisle joined the CDC and DSTDP in 1996 as the National Coordinator for Infertility Prevention Activities. In 1999, she became the Chief of the Program Development and Support Branch (currently Program and Training Branch – PTB (proposed)), where she oversees the nation’s STD programs. Ms. DeLisle also served as DSTDP’s Acting Deputy Director between March 2004 and July 2005.

Ms. DeLisle contributes to the field directly and indirectly by guiding, supporting and encouraging others to develop and implement science-based programs and participate in continuous innovation. For example, Ms. DeLisle played a role in the incorporation of Rapid Situational Assessments into outbreak response and the use of nuclear acid amplification tests by infertility prevention programs. She also continuously encourages prevention programs to use local epidemiologic and behavioral data in program planning and was instrumental in the development of the first STD HEDIS measure for managed care, annual chlamydia screening of young, sexually-active women.

In accepting the Jack Spencer Award, Susan shared her perspective that as we talk about public health, “it’s important to remember that the ‘public’ is made up of people.” She reminded us that every suspect, associate, core transmitter, and case is a person who needs our commitment, passion and expertise. Sadly for DSTDP, Susan’s commitment and passion will soon be directed to her new role with CDC’s Portfolio Management Project.