ACPM members are exceptional professionals and leaders working in all aspects of the health care ecosystem. We are proud to highlight the impactful work, diverse career paths, and varied professional specialties of our members through spotlight health stories. Have an interesting story to tell, or know of a colleague who deserves to be featured? Let us know by emailing membership@acpm.org and putting “Member Spotlight Nomination” in the subject line. We’ll put together a few spotlight questions for the nominated member to prominently feature them on our page!
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Our Member Spotlight Stories
Meet Celeste Philip, MD, MPH
Professor of Public Health Practice, Meharry Medical College School of Global Health
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When asked how past global health experiences influence her career path, she shared the following:
"As a second generation American who grew up with many childhood friends whose parents are from many different countries with varying languages, fashion, cuisines and customs, experiencing and valuing other cultures is a foundational principle for me. In college, medical school, residency and fellowship training, I sought opportunities that would allow me to live and work with international colleagues — in six continents — to further my understanding of not only policies and practice, but also how to hone skills in communication, respect and diplomacy. These principles in international settings have served me well in my governmental roles, and I look forward to sharing lessons learned with the next generation of global public health leaders at Meharry’s School of Global Health and beyond".
Read Dr. Philip's full member spotlight.
Meet Jacob Adams, MD, MPH, FACPM
Former Program Director (General Preventive Medicine and Public Health Residency at University of Rochester Medical Center)
When asked what is the key benefit a professional association such as ACPM can offer an idividual, he shared the following:
"ACPM provides professional connections that will open doors for you, provide mentors, lifelong friendships and help keep you enthusiastic about your career. Many of my best professional friends are those I met at annual ACPM conferences. Working on the Policy Committee, Health Systems Transformation Committee and Science and Translation Committee helps me have a wider impact on the health of our nation. My activities with ACPM also help me feel vibrant and relevant by giving me the opportunity to meet young physicians and physicians in training pursuing our specialty and sharing my knowledge and experience with them".
Read Dr. Adam's full member spotlight.
Meet Peter Rumm, MD, MPH, FACPM
Director, Policy (Military Environmental Exposures)
When asked about the best advice he received that made a difference in his career decisions, he said this:
"The best advice I received was from a senior mentor who told me to follow my heart in picking a new role, when one ended due to a reorganization. I had two offers in areas I was not interested in, and one in academia which I selected. Although the salary and benefits weren’t as good as the other offers, it was the right choice as it suited my interest in teaching and worked out best in the long run".
Read Dr. Rumm's Full Member Spotlight.
Meet Leith J. States, MD, MPH, MBA, FACPM
Chief Medical Officer, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health
Dr. States has served in a varitey of roles in military service and governemntal public health - here, he gives advice to young physicians in serving in the military:
My general rule of thumb while I was on active duty was to advise junior Officers to take advantage of the unique opportunities serving as a physician in uniform provides. The training, assignments, and deployments that being a military physician provides cannot be matched as a civilian. The capacity to be exposed to other nation’s militaries, cultures, societies, and approaches to governance is not easy to come by and should be actively nurtured as a young physician.
Read Dr. States full member spotlight.
Meet Michael Crupain, MD, MPH, and FACPM
Chief Medical Officer, ShareCare
When asked what advice he would offer to younger physicians seeking a job in corporate America, Dr. Crupain had this to say:
“For better or worse, preventive medicine is a specialty that doesn’t necessarily have a mapped-out career path for graduates to follow. While this can be frustrating, if you have an entrepreneurial spirit in you, it means you can create your dream job. My advice is the same to everyone whether they want to work industry, government, or academia: go meet people who have done what you desire, follow your passion, and be persistent.”
Read Dr. Crupain’s Full Member Spotlight
Meet Lisa Waddell, MD, MPH
Chief Medical Officer, The CDC Foundation
When asked about the key roles preventive medicine physicians play in filling the post-pandemic gaps in health departmetns, Dr. Waddell answered:
Preventive medicine physicians bring such a unique and needed perspective to the table; we understand programs, policy and practice and the importance of systems changes. We value engaging the community and understand the need to address root causes and the structural and systemic issues leading to health inequities in order to improve health. Now more than ever, the expertise of trained preventive medicine physicians is needed to lead during this historic public health crisis......
Read Dr. Waddell's full member spolight.
Meet Tista Ghosh, MD, MPH
Vice President, Employee Health at Edwards Lifesciences
When asked what she believes the key benefit ACPM membership offers an individual, Dr. Ghosh had this to say:
"ACPM and other societies offer physicians the chance to have a voice in larger policy discussions. There is only so much one physician can do from their own clinic − but there is power in a collective voice. So, by lending their voices to a professional society, physicians may be able to influence policies and messages that significantly impact the health of large populations."
Read Dr. Ghosh's Full Member Spotlight
Meet Chris T. Pernell, MD, MPH and FACPM
Chief Strategic Integration and Health Equity Officer at University Hospital, Newark, N.J.
When asked what advice she would offer to young physicians who are beginning their journey in medicine, Dr. Pernell has this to say:
"It's crucial for all young physicians to understand how upstream factors influence health and the role of systems and societal forces on health outcomes and life opportunities. For instance, all physicians, especially those who are beginning their journey in medicine, need to understand the impact of systemic and institutional racism and implicit bias on patients. The COVID-19 pandemic has shone a bright light on the disproportionate burden of illness experienced by persons of color. The devastation caused by the pandemic cannot be extricated from the role of endemic racism. The integration between public health and clinical medicine is necessary for health equity to be achieved."
Read Dr. Pernell's Full Member Spotlight
Meet Ed Fess, MD, MBA
CMO of Care1st Health Plan—Arizona
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On the topic of how the training and education in preventive medicine has supported his career, Dr. Fess has this to say:
"So much of preventive medicine applies to daily life as a CMO. Many of the skills I learned provided me with a breadth of knowledge and are directly applicable to my work, including reviewing studies on new medications, devices, or clinical programs; interacting with the state regulatory agencies and public health departments; dealing with a multitude of communicable diseases; and even understanding the overall infrastructure of public and world health."
Read Dr. Fess’ Full Member Spotlight
Meet Maria Mora Pinzon, MD, MPH and FACPM
Assistant Scientist, Research Fellow — University of Wisconsin – Madison
Current ACPM Membership Committee chair and 2021 Volunteer of the Year award recipient Dr. Mora Pinzon’s key advice to fellow preventive medicine physicians is to network, network, network. She has this to say:
“ACPM is my home. The first annual conference I attended made me feel that I had found my people — their stories and work reflected my own — and showed me a world of possibilities that I had no idea was possible. … ACPM events allow members to meet people from around the world and across different fields, which in turn opens opportunities for careers and positions that you might not have known are available. Saying “Hi, I saw you at the ACPM conference” is usually met with a very warm response and you never know what that conversation will bring.”
Read Dr. Mora Pinzon’s Full Member Spotlight
ACPM is proud of the extensive list of professionals and supporters that make up our organization. We want to hear your stories and share them with the preventive medicine community! Become an ACPM member today to be featured in our member spotlight and to explore all that ACPM has to offer.
As a membership organization, we support our members through resources, educational opportunities, advocacy, and more. All of these items are supported through donations, and we ask that you consider contributing to engage in our cause.
ACPM looks forward to featuring more stories from our members. Contact us at membership@acpm.org for more information, or give us a call at (202) 466-2044.