Outstanding Contributions to Health Psychology by a Senior Professional

TheHealthPsychologistSociety for Health Psychology 2017 Awardees

Sue J. Curry, PhD

Sue J. Curry, PhD

Sue J. Curry, PhD,  The University of Iowa

Dr. Sue Curry is currently the Interim Executive Vice President and Provost of the University of Iowa and serves as a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Health Management and Policy. She previously served as Dean of the University of Iowa College of Public Health since 2008. Her leadership at a national level also includes currently serving as the Vice-Chair of the US Preventive Services Task Force. She also held senior leadership positions at the Institute for Health Research and Policy in the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health, University of Washington School of Public Health and Community Medicine, and the Group Health Cooperative in Seattle.

Dr. Curry’s research portfolio exemplifies excellence in translation of behavioral science interventions in the area of chronic disease management and health policy. Her nationally funded program of research for more then three decades is recognized internationally for her expertise in behavioral science and translation of research findings into health policy. Her work focuses specifically on health policy, behavioral risk factor modification, cancer prevention and control, and community-based and self-help interventions. Her extensive research in chronic disease prevention and management also includes studies of tobacco cessation, dietary change, modification of risky drinking patterns, and methods of increasing compliance with recommended cancer screening. She has published over 180 peer review articles and her research also encompasses timely studies of the use and cost effectiveness of prevention treatments under different health insurance plans, and health care costs and utilization associated with tobacco cessation. Dr. Curry has had continuous grant funding since 1980 from the National Institutes of Health, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Dr. Curry has also been a national leader and is a member of the National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) and a fellow of both the American Psychological Association and the Society of Behavioral Medicine. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the American Society for Preventive Oncology’s Joseph R. Cullen Memorial Award in 2000, the Society of Behavioral Medicine’s Distinguished Scientist Award in 2001, and the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco’s John Slade Award in 2015. Dr. Curry’s many professional activities include past service as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the American Legacy Foundation, member of the Board of Scientific Advisors for the National Cancer Institute, and member of the US Preventive Services Task Force from 2009-2014. Dr. Curry’s current activities include membership on the CDC’s Interagency Committee on Smoking and Health, Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health Board of Directors, and the Membership Committee and Board on Population Health for the Institute of Medicine.

Please join me in congratulating Dr. Sue Curry for her outstanding contributions to Health Psychology as a senior professional.

– Dawn Wilson, PhD