USF’s Adewale Troutman, MD, MPH, CPH, has been elected president-elect of the American Public Health Association.

Dr. Troutman, who joined USF last fall, will serve this post until Nov. 2014, when he will become president of the organization for a three-year term. He is professor in USF’s Department of Community and Family Health in the College of Public Health and directs the Public Health Practice and Leadership, the Center for Leadership in Public Health, and the Public Health Practice Masters of Public Health program.

“In his role of president-elect and then president, Dr. Adewale Troutman will be THE voice for THE leading authority on public health in this country, and we couldn’t be prouder,” said Donna Petersen, MHS, ScD, dean of the USF College of Public Health and senior associate vice president of USF Health.

The American Public Health Association is the oldest and most diverse organization of public health professionals in the world, she said. Like the American Medical Association or the American Nurses Association it provides critical services and supports to this profession in advocacy, training, standard setting and networking.  Recognizing the importance of both science and practice, APHA publishes the premier journal in our field, The American Journal of Public Health and supports the efforts of public health association chapters in every state.

Dr. Troutman’s work centers on health disparities and understanding why the differences exist. Earlier this year, Dr. Troutman was appointed to the national Advisory Committee on Infant Mortality, a group that reports directly to the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. His published research has focused on health disparities and health issues affecting African-Americans.

Another key role for Dr. Troutman at USF is directing the HRSA Public Health Training Center, which was funded last fall with a five-year, $3.25 million grant from the Health and Human Resources Administration. The training center assesses the learning needs and further develops the knowledge and skills of the state’s current and future public health professionals. USF was one of 27 accredited schools of public health and other public and non-profit institutions across the country – the only one in Florida – to receive such an award.

Prior to joining USF, Dr. Troutman directed the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness, was associate professor at the University of Louisville, School of Public Health and filled the Frederick Douglas Visiting Professorship on Pan African Studies at the University of Louisville. He also serves on the executive committee of the National Academy for Health Equity.

Dr. Troutman earned his medical degree from the New Jersey Medical School and his master’s degree in public health from Columbia University. He also has a master’s degree in Black Studies from the State University of New York-Albany. He spent 13 years directing the emergency medicine services at United Hospital’s Medical Center in Newark, NJ.