Runyan honored for visionary leadership
Colorado School of Public Health Professor of Epidemiology Carol Runyan, MPH, Ph.D. recently was named one of the 20 leaders and visionaries who have had a transformative effect on the field of violence and injury prevention over the twenty year history of CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC). These individuals will be recognized at the American Public Health Association meetings in San Francisco in October.
As part of the NCIPC’s 20th Anniversary celebration, they launched the 20 for 20 Project earlier this year, with leaders nominated and selected by peers.
“I am deeply honored to be a part of this auspicious list that contains, among others, my mentor, Susan Baker,” said Runyan of the tribute. “It is amazing how fast the last twenty years have gone and how far the field has progressed. This is a list of people with steadfast dedication to an issue that remains often overlooked, despite the burden of injuries and violence on population health.”
Runyan joined the Colorado School of Public Health in 2011 after a distinguished career on the faculty of the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health. While there Runyan directed the UNC Injury Prevention Research Center, and has for years been a national leader and advocate in addressing injury and violence prevention through applied research and workforce development.
Currently Runyan directs Colorado’s Pediatric Injury Prevention, Education and Research (PIPER) program, a collaborative initiative of the Colorado School of Public Health, the University of Colorado School of Medicine, and Children’s Hospital Colorado. PIPER links research, training, policy, and practice to prevent injury in Colorado, nationally and around the world. To learn more about PIPER research and resources, visit the project’s new website www.ucdenver.edu/piper.
“Injury and violence (including both interpersonal violence and suicide) are leading health concerns for children and youth. As leader of PIPER, I see my role as a matchmaker and catalyst; helping to harness and integrate the excellent work already underway in Colorado, extending knowledge and its application.” As Runyan points out that part of her mission is to recruit more scientists and practitioners to the field, stating that in addition to bringing together those already working in the field she aims to identify others “who haven’t yet realized they are really interested in injury.”
Runyan’s efforts and those of the other 20 for 20 leaders will be promoted throughout the remainder of the Injury Center’s 20th Anniversary year programs. To learn more, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Injury Center, http://www.cdc.gov/injury/anniversary/index.html