October 15, 2018 | Erin Bluvas, bluvase@sc.edu
Associate professor of epidemiology and biostatistics Jan Eberth has been elected to serve as a member of the board of directors for the American College of Epidemiology (ACE). During her three-year term, which began on September 23, Eberth will help guide the organization’s policies, priorities and other activities.
Eberth has been an active member of ACE since 2007 and is a Fellow in the organization. Over the past decade, she has held various leadership roles within the college. For example, Eberth served as the board’s associate member representative from 2008-2010. She is currently an associate editor for the Annals of Epidemiology, ACE’s official journal publication.
As chair and vice-chair of the communications committee, she led the renovation of the ACE website, logo, newsletter and social media presence. In these positions, Eberth has worked to expand the influence of ACE to the broader public health community and ensure consistent outreach to members.
In her new role, Eberth plans to advocate for more opportunities for epidemiology education throughout the year, including both virtual and in-person regional events. She will also continue to voice enthusiasm for enhanced membership benefits to attract qualified epidemiologists and students to join ACE. Eberth will continue working the communications committee, as well as the mentoring committee, to ensure that these groups are developing and disseminating training opportunities that meet the needs of ACE members at all levels.
Eberth earned a Ph.D. in epidemiology from the University of Texas' School of Public Health and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in health services research at MD Anderson Cancer Center. She joined the Arnold School of Public Health’s epidemiology and biostatistics department in 2013.
At the Arnold School, Eberth is also the director of the Rural and Minority Health Research Center and a core member of the South Carolina Cancer Prevention and Control Program. Outside the University of South Carolina, Eberth serves as an invited member of the National Lung Cancer Roundtable, chair of the Lung Cancer Workgroup of the South Carolina Cancer Alliance, and member of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network.
The 2017 USC Breakthrough Star winner’s research focuses on cancer health disparities, particularly understanding the socioeconomic and structural barriers that impede adequate access and utilization to cancer screening and treatment. Her methods include employing geospatial, statistical, and qualitative approaches to understand the distribution and causes of cancer disparities, with the larger goal of identifying policy- and systems-level solutions to make health equity a reality.
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