AMERICAN SOCIAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION
July 7, 1997
Contact:
Sharon Broom, Public Relations Director
Phone: (919) 361-8416 / Fax: (919) 361-8425
[email protected]
Linda Alexander Named ASHA President/CEO
Linda Alexander, PhD, FAAN, has been named president and chief executive officer of the American Social Health Association, an 83-year-old organization dedicated to stopping sexually transmitted diseases.
Her appointment was announced by Leighton E. Cluff, MD, chair of the ASHA board of directors. "Dr. Alexander brings to this organization exceptionally strong skills in leadership, management and communication, along with a solid background as a clinician and researcher," Cluff said. "These attributes, combined with her energy, enthusiasm and profound commitment to the fight against STDs, make her the ideal choice to lead ASHA into the 21st century."
Alexander assumes the post immediately and will join ASHA fulltime in October.
As ASHA's director of women's health from 1992 to 1995, Alexander led a national education campaign on the disproportionate impact that STDs have on women, developing materials for health care providers, legislators and the public.
Most recently Alexander has been vice president of women's health for United Information Systems in Bethesda, Md. In that position, she has served as director of scientific peer review for the Department of Defense's Congressionally appropriated biomedical research in breast, ovarian and prostate cancer, osteoporosis and neurofibromatosis. She also holds graduate faculty adjunct appointments at the University of Maryland and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda.
>From 1989 to 1993, Alexander was an assistant professor at the University of Maryland, where she developed the doctoral area of specialization in women's health in the Department of Health Education.
Alexander retired from the U.S. Army Nurse Corps in 1989 after 21 years of active duty, with the rank of lieutenant colonel. Before retiring, she was a nurse epidemiologist and HIV educational evaluation coordinator within the Division of Preventive Medicine at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research.
The American Academy of Nursing selected Alexander as a Fellow (FAAN) in 1996. In 1995, she was appointed by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences to serve on a commitee overseeing the Defense Women's Health Research Study.
Her publications include "Dimensions in Women's Health," a college textbook co-authored with Judith LaRosa, and the accompanying instructor's manual. She also has published numerous journal articles and has presented papers at a number of professional conferences.
Alexander earned a PhD in health education at the University of Maryland, an MSN in community health nursing at the University of Texas and an MSEd in education and counseling from the University of Southern California. She also holds a bachelor's degree in nursing from the University of Maryland.
ASHA's programs include the National AIDS Hotline, (800) 342-2437, and the National STD Hotline, (800) 227-8922), both operated under contract with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The organization also operates the Herpes Resource Center and HPV (human papillomavirus) Support Program, the only nonprofit support programs for people with these incurable infections. In March, ASHA began operating the National Immunization Information Hotline, (800) 232-2522, under contract with the CDC. For further information about ASHA, call (919) 361-8400.
# # # #
RSS