January 18, 2017 | Erin Bluvas, bluvase@sc.edu
Arnold School researchers Jan Eberth (Epidemiology and Biostatistics (EPID/BIOS)) and Daniel Fogerty (Communication Sciences and Disorders (COMD)) are two of only 14 faculty members to be named 2017 Breakthrough Stars by USC’s Office of the Vice President for Research. Faculty members are nominated and selected by peers for this award based on their early career achievements. They exceed expectations in their fields, demonstrate exceptional potential and make outstanding contributions to research and scholarship.
Arriving as an assistant professor in EPID/BIOS just three years ago, Eberth’s research focuses on measuring access, utilization, and quality of cancer prevention and treatment services, particularly for cancer sites that are known to be preventable or detectable at early stages (e.g., breast, lung, colorectal, cervical cancer). She has already authored 42 peer-reviewed or invited publications and garnered over $1 million in competitive research funding as a principal investigator or co-principal investigator. She is one of just three scientists statewide to receive the Mentored Research Scholar Grant from the American Cancer Society to study provider- and regional-level influences on colorectal cancer outcomes.
Eberth has invited students to share in this success, mentoring more than 30 students from undergraduate to doctoral level in the past three years, through her Health Equity Research Lab. These collaborations have resulted in 19 national conference presentations, 18 manuscripts, and four grant submissions with student authors. “It is evident from these research accomplishments that Dr. Eberth is a rising star with great potential to become a leader in her field,” says Associate Professor of EPID/BIOS Susan Steck. “She is clearly a talented mentor, scientist, collaborator and teacher who makes UofSC a better place by her presence.”
She is also committed to improving rural health, engaged in the multiple projects on the topic. She is a Rural Health Fellow for the National Rural Health Foundation and serves as the Deputy Director for the South Carolina Rural Health Research Center. In addition, Eberth has held numerous service roles in professional organizations, including the American College of Epidemiology. “Working across disciplinary lines allows Dr. Eberth to expand her ability to contribute to the reduction of rural disparities and more effective delivery of cancer prevention services,” says Professor of Health Services Policy and Management Janice Probst. “She is a humble and charming individual who makes a great team member and leader, and I anticipate nothing but increasing excellence throughout the rest of her career.”
Fogerty’s highly scientific and technical research focuses on advancing precision audiology. Over 36 million American adults report some degree of hearing loss, and Fogerty’s work aims to improve speech understanding in the presence of competing noise—the most difficult yet highly common listening situation. It’s a critical public health issue and one that Fogerty is at the forefront of tackling through his specialized research.
The assistant professor joined COMD in 2011 and has since increased his total number of scientific papers to 31 (most within the top journals of the field) and professional presentations to 59. He has been awarded $1.8 million from National Institutes of Health, with R03 and R01 grants that were both funded on his first proposals. Through his extensive service roles in the field of communication sciences and disorders, Fogerty has already developed a national reputation as an expert in the field.
“I consider Dr. Fogerty to be one of the most accomplished scholars of his generation,” says Eric Healy, a professor and Joan N. Huber Fellow in the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences at The Ohio State University. “In fact, I find it difficult to identify scholars who I consider superior to him. Accordingly, I would place him easily among the top ten of his generation in our field, and likely among the top five.”
Fogerty is also committed to mentorship, working closely with undergraduate, master’s and doctoral students as well as postdoctoral fellows and new faculty members. For his efforts, he has been recognized with USC’s Distinguished Undergraduate Research Mentor Award, an honor given to exceptional mentors by the Office of the Vice President for Research and the Office of Undergraduate Research.
“Dr. Fogerty exceeds expectations in our field, demonstrates exceptional potential, and has made outstanding contributions to research and scholarship,” says COMD Chair Kenn Apel. “These attributes have even been acknowledged by experts from around the country.”
Eberth and Fogerty will be featured as 2017 Breakthrough Stars in a special supplement of Breakthrough magazine and honored at the Breakthrough Awards Dinner in the spring.
Related:
Beets and Chatterjee named 2016 Breakthrough Stars by the Office of the VP for Research
COMD’s Julius Fridriksson receives 2017 Breakthrough Leadership in Research Award