University of Miami epidemiologist Dr. Lora E. Fleming has been named the Florida Outstanding Woman in Public Health for 2006 by the University of South Florida College of Public Health.

 

The College bestows the award each year on a woman whose career accomplishments and leadership have contributed significantly to the field of public health in Florida. Dr. Fleming was honored at an awards ceremony Wednesday, at the USF College of Public Health in Tampa. Fla.

 

Dr. Fleming is a professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine and holds a joint appointment in the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. She earned a joint MD-MPH degree from Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health. She completed her residency in family practice at Montefiore Hospital in Bronx, N.Y., and earned a PhD in epidemiology from Yale Public Health School.

 

Dr. Fleming studies the environmental toxicity of algal blooms on human health. She has been instrumental in promoting occupational and environmental health at the local, state and national levels.

 

“Dr. Fleming is never too busy to field anxious ‘cold’ calls from workers or other community members concerned about asbestos worksite exposures or possible local cancer cluster in the state. Her advice is always scientifically-based, clearly delivered and never patronizing,” said Dr. David Lee, a colleague at the University of Miami School of Medicine who has worked with Dr. Fleming on several studies funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and other agencies.

 

The Florida Outstanding Woman in Public Health Award was initiated by USF in 1988, and nominations are solicited from public health practitioners across the state. Past honorees include Dr. Lillian Stark, director of virology at the Florida Department of Health Tampa Branch Laboratory and Dr. Jean Malecki, director of the Palm Beach County Health Department.