People in the news - August 2014

Burwell is the new US Secretary of Health

Sylvia M. Burwell has been sworn in as the new Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the parent agency of NIH. Burwell most recently was Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Burwell has had significant experience in the global arena. She spent a decade at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, including as the founding president of its Global Development Program which awarded $1.5 billion annually. Before that, she held positions at economics-related agencies during the Clinton Administration.

Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell

NEI's Sieving is honored by German academy

The NIH's National Eye Institute (NEI) Director, Dr. Paul Sieving, has been elected to the German Academy of Sciences. The Leopoldina, as it is commonly known, is equivalent to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, providing analyses on important issues from scientific and medical perspectives. About a quarter of its 1,500 members are from countries other than Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Past notable names have included Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein and Max Planck.

Dr. Paul Sieving

NIH scientist is recognized by Spain

A National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) scientist has received a Gold Pin Award from the Spanish Scientific Society of Alcohol and Drugs, its highest honor. Dr. Ivan Montoya, a division deputy director at NIDA, was recognized for his efforts in promoting drug abuse research in Spain and supporting training for investigators and treatment professionals.

Dr. Ivan Montoya

Córdova leads US science foundation

Dr. France A. Córdova has been appointed director of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). An astrophysicist, researcher and university administrator, Cordóva most recently held positions on the boards of the Smithsonian Institution and Mayo Clinic. Before that, she served in leadership roles at Purdue University and the University of California, Riverside. In the 1990s, she was NASA's chief scientist.

Dr. France A. Córdova

Fogarty Grantee Pape honored by Haitian President

Dr. Jean William Pape, Fogarty grantee and director of the organization GHESKIO, was recognized by Haitian President Michel Martelly in a World Health Day ceremony at the National Palace, for his commitment to HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis and his positive impact on the population's health. GHESKIO researchers have made many lifesaving discoveries since 1983, for instance, showing that blood banks were contaminated by HIV, that sexually transmitted diseases increased HIV transmission and that HIV-positive patients could avert tuberculosis by taking prophylaxis medication.

Dr. Jean William Pape