Lanier to chair State Board of Health

By Joe Kuttenkuler

Jack O. Lanier, Dr. P.H., M.H.A., FACHE, professor in VCU's Department of Preventative Medicine and Community Health, has been elected chairman of the State Board of Health effective July 1. Board members approved the election during their April meeting.

Lanier, who served as chairman of the Department of Preventative Medicine and Community Health from December 1992 to August 2001, has been a State Board of Health member since July 2001.

"Virginia is fortunate to have the leadership and experience in public health that Dr. Lanier will provide as chairman of the Board," said State Health Commissioner, Robert Stroube, M.D., M.P.H. "Since his appointment to the Board, his leadership and experience in public health have been a tremendous asset in shaping policy."

Lanier has been with the university since 1992 and was appointed associate vice president for health sciences for public health in 1997.

"There are a number of important public health issues at hand that offer real challenges but also great opportunities," Lanier said. "I'm looking forward to working with our state health administration on behalf of all Virginians."

Prior to joining the university, Lanier served for three years as the principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for health affairs under then Secretary of Defense Richard Cheney. He also was senior vice president for corporate and community development of the Greater Southeast Health Care System in Washington D.C. where he was responsible for corporate planning, policy and program development. He also has served in administrative positions with the American College of Health Care Executives and the Army-Baylor University Graduate Program in Health Care Administration at the Academy of Health Sciences at Fort Sam Houston. In addition, Lanier has held a number of key military medical positions.

The State Board of Health consists of 13 members who are appointed by the Governor for four-year terms. The Board's mission to provide leadership in planning and policy development for the Virginia Department of Health in order to implement coordinated, prevention-oriented programs that promote and protect the health of all Virginians.