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UTHealth physician joins NCI board
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Sally Vernon, PhD, chair of the department of health promotion and behavioral sciences at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health, has been appointed to the board of scientific counselors for clinical sciences and epidemiology at the NCI.
Vernon — who holds a professorship in mind–body medicine and public health at UTHealth — will serve a 5-year appointment.
In this role, she will evaluate and review research projects of cancer scientists and clinicians in the NCI’s Center for Cancer Research and division of cancer epidemiology and genetics. This will include evaluation of the performance and productivity of senior scientists and senior clinicians through periodic site visits to NCI labs.
Board members also advise the NCI director and deputy director about scientific program policy and the future direction of research programs.
“It’s an honor and an important responsibility to evaluate the research programs NCI is carrying out,” Vernon said in a press release.
Vernon’s research has focused on the promotion of evidence-based cancer screening tests for breast, cervical and colon cancers. Her current research focuses on developing, implementing and evaluating evidence-based strategies to increase HPV vaccination rates in adolescents.