Philadelphia, Pa. 12/11/2005 9:00:00 PM
Omar Khan, MD, MHS, was honored today with the 2005 American Public Health Association Executive Director’s Citation for his work to continuously improve the quality of APHA publications. He will receive the award here during the 133 rd APHA Annual Meeting & Exposition.
Khan has been instrumental in elevating the standards of APHA’s many publications as a member of the APHA Publications Board since 1999 and as the board’s chair from 2003 to 2005. He was responsible for securing David L. Heymann, MD, of the World Health Organization, as editor for the new 18 th edition of the APHA-published Control of Communicable Diseases Manual. The 18 th edition sold more than 78,000 copies in the first year of sales, helping to boost publication revenue for the year to nearly $2 million.
Khan spearheaded timely books on Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and the recent influenza vaccine shortage, which should have popular appeal beyond the APHA membership, and found a popular science writer to author the books. He was instrumental in helping APHA staff design the first-ever CCDM Web site, which should be launched in the coming months.
Khan has worked diligently to expand the buy/resale book program and spends many hours of his own time reviewing books for inclusion in the program. He has written numerous book reviews of new APHA publications for WebMD Health, the leading source for consumer and professional health information online, pushed hard to get an Executive Board liaison to the Publications Board and is constantly talking to APHA Sections, Affiliates and other groups about sending publication proposals to the APHA Press.
“He works diligently with APHA authors and editors to ensure that the manuscripts we receive for publication are of the best quality,” said APHA Executive Director Georges Benjamin, MD, FACP. “We owe a great debt of gratitude to Omar Khan for his dedication to the integrity of APHA publications.”
Among his many professional positions, Khan has been on the faculty at the Johns Hopkins University and the University of Vermont. He served as founding project director of the South Asia Infectious Disease Network and chaired an international meeting in Dhaka, Bangladesh, which brought together scientists from the South Asian region to discuss this critical topic.
Much of Khan’s work has been on HIV/AIDS and other public health issues in South Asia, including service as a board member of the Naz Foundation, which works for human rights and health issues for underserved males in the region. He has published articles on general medicine, public health, medical education and global health topics in a wide variety of peer-reviewed journals, including The Lancet and the American Journal of Public Health.
Founded in 1872, APHA is the oldest, largest and most diverse organization of public health professionals in the world. The association works to protect all Americans and their communities from preventable, serious health threats. APHA represents a broad array of health officials, educators, environmentalists, policy-makers and health providers at all levels working both within and outside governmental organizations and educational institutions. More information is available at www.apha.org.
Contact: Media Relations, (202) 777-2509
media.relations@apha.org
