After an extensive national search, Jessica Kahn, M.D., M.P.H., has been appointed as the senior associate dean for clinical and translational research and director of the Block Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR) at Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
She currently serves as co-director of the Center for Clinical and Translational Science and Training (CCTST) and professor of pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati and as the founding associate chair of academic affairs and career development at Cincinnati Children’s. Dr. Kahn will begin her new role at Einstein on October 21.
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“Dr. Kahn emerged as the clear leading candidate during the search process,” said Yaron Tomer, M.D., the Marilyn and Stanley M. Katz Dean at Einstein and chief academic officer at Montefiore Einstein. “She has unique expertise and experience in all facets of clinical and translational research, and we are enormously pleased that she will be joining Einstein.”
Academic leadership
In addition to her current positions, Dr. Kahn has held several other research and academic leadership roles throughout her career. She was principal investigator (PI) of a program that funded 10 U.S. research projects to improve adolescent vaccination, administered through the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine (SAHM), and served on the Community Practice Leadership Group and the Therapeutic Leadership Group of the Adolescent Medicine Trials Network for HIV/AIDS Interventions.
She also previously served as the Joseph L. Rauh Chair and director of the division of adolescent and transition medicine and as the research integrity officer at Cincinnati Children’s.
“Dr. Kahn has built a remarkable record of achievement in leadership, research, mentoring, and collaboration,” said Marla Keller, M.D., the recently appointed executive dean at Einstein and current director of the ICTR. “I am confident she will excel in her new roles at Einstein.”
HPV research
Dr. Kahn’s research, which has been funded by the National Institutes of Health for over 20 years, focuses on decreasing morbidity and mortality from human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated cancers. Her studies have investigated: attitudes about HPV vaccination among adolescents, parents, and clinicians; clinician recommendations and adolescent uptake of HPV vaccines; epidemiology and risk factors for HPV in adolescents; immunogenicity and efficacy of HPV vaccines in HIV-infected young women and men; the epidemiologic impact of HPV vaccine introduction in communities; and the use of new technologies to improve HPV vaccine uptake.
“Einstein is nationally recognized for its research excellence and commitment to serving the Bronx community,” said Dr. Kahn. “There is tremendous potential to leverage these strengths to expand the research enterprise, accelerate the translation of discoveries into improvements in clinical care and health equity, and strengthen our engagement with the community. I very much look forward to joining my new colleagues in New York and building upon an already impressive legacy.”
Leader in field
As an internationally recognized leader in the field, Dr. Kahn has served on the World Health Organization’s (WHO) HPV Vaccine Advisory Committee, which created guidance for HPV vaccine implementation globally, and on the WHO Technical Advisory Group for health promotion and health education for cervical cancer prevention and control. She spearheaded the development of and facilitated a global HPV vaccine community of practice, an initiative funded by the WHO. She leads the HPV subgroup of the International Pediatric Association’s Committee on Immunization, with the goal of improving global HPV vaccine uptake.
Dr. Kahn previously served on the steering committee of the National Network for Immunization Information; the Pertussis Vaccine Working Group of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices; the National Advisory Board of the Adolescent and Young Adult Health National Resource Center; and the HPV Vaccine Working Group of the National Vaccine Advisory Committee. She also has been deeply involved with her national professional organization, SAHM, serving on its Board of Directors for 10 years, as SAHM president and chief executive officer, and now as president of the Past Presidents Council. She received SAHM’s Outstanding Achievement in Adolescent Health and Medicine Award earlier this year.
Dr. Kahn received her M.D. from Harvard Medical School and M.P.H. from the Harvard School of Public Health. She completed a residency and chief residency in pediatrics and a fellowship in adolescent and young adult medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital before joining Cincinnati Children’s and the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.
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