Distinguished Alumni Award

Mary D. Nettleman, 93MS, has made far-reaching contributions to the field of public health through her impressive scholarship and clinical and academic achievements.

A graduate of Vanderbilt Medical School, Nettleman earned a bachelor's degree from Ohio University Honors Tutorial College and received her master's degree in preventive medicine and epidemiology from the University of Iowa in 1993. She completed a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in infectious diseases at Indiana University.

The vice president for health affairs and dean of the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine got her start in academia as an instructor at the University of Iowa, rising to the rank of associate professor before joining the faculty at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in 1996.

During Nettleman's seven-year tenure at VCU, she was promoted to professor and served as division chair for internal medicine and associate dean for primary care. In 2003, she accepted a position as chair of the Department of Medicine at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, and she took on her current role at the University of South Dakota in 2012.

A nationally known researcher, Nettleman claims 122 publications and 62 chapters to her name—and she possesses expertise in many key areas, including women's health, the epidemiology of unintended pregnancy, the economic impact of influenza vaccine in preschool children, alcohol-exposed pregnancies, the role of global warming in infectious disease, the implications of infection control in antimicrobial resistance, patient education, and physician career choices.

Recently the principal investigator on a multimillion-dollar National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant, "Building Interdisciplinary Research in Women's Health," Nettleman also assumed similar roles on "Project Choices: Prevention of Alcohol-Exposed Pregnancies" and "Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health."

Not only is Nettleman a devoted researcher and scientist, but she is also a dedicated volunteer. She's active in the American Heart Association's "Go Red for Women" campaign, and she helped establish a women's health conference at Michigan State University. She has led several NIH grant-review groups, and she is a longtime member of the Institutional Review Board at Michigan State, serving for five years as vice-chair of the committee.

Her leadership in the world of public health has not gone unnoticed. Nettleman is the recipient of numerous awards, including a certificate of appreciation from the U.S. Army for Service to the Congressionally Directed Medical Research on Gulf War Illness; the Shepard Award for Excellence in Scientific Achievement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and the Young Investigator Award of the Society of Healthcare Epidemiology of America. A Master and Fellow of the American College of Physicians, she repeatedly appears in lists of the "Best Doctors in America." In May 2012, she was named as one of the UI College of Public Health's Outstanding Alumni Award recipients.

Thanks to her passion for scientific inquiry and her dedication to the public good, Mary D. Nettleman takes a rightful place among the very best minds working to transform health care.