Jennifer Lorvick receives Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers

SAN FRANCISCO, California— Jennifer Lorvick, DrPH, a senior public health scientist at RTI International, has received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers from President Obama's administration. 

The award is the highest honor given by the U.S. government to science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their research careers. Lorvick will be honored among 105 recipients at a ceremony this spring in Washington, D.C. 

"Jennifer is at the forefront of community-based research to understand health disparities created by homelessness, drug use, and criminal justice," said Alex Kral, Ph.D., Director of the Behavioral and Urban Health Program at RTI. "It's a much deserved and tremendous honor for her to be recognized by the White House."

Lorvick studies the health consequences of drug use, poverty, criminal justice system involvement and violence using innovative community-based research methods. Her areas of expertise include the epidemiology of HIV, hepatitis C virus and sexually transmitted infections, health disparities, and social and structural determinants of health.  

The Presidential Early Career Awards emphasize the importance that the administration places on encouraging and accelerating American innovation to grow the economy and tackle the greatest challenges. Awardees are selected for their pursuit of innovative research at the frontiers of science and technology, and their commitment to community service as demonstrated through scientific leadership, public education, or community outreach.

This year's recipients are employed or funded by departments and agencies including the Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, Science Foundation, and the Intelligence Community. These departments and agencies join together annually to nominate the most meritorious scientists and engineers whose early accomplishments show the greatest promise for assuring America's preeminence in science and engineering and contributing to the awarding agencies' missions.

"These early-career scientists are leading the way in our efforts to confront and understand challenges from climate change to our health and wellness," President Obama said. "We congratulate these accomplished individuals and encourage them to continue to serve as an example of the incredible promise and ingenuity of the American people."

Lorvick has led epidemiological surveys, intervention trials, mixed methods research, program evaluations, and policy analyses. She has authored or co-authored over 40 articles in peer-reviewed journals, including the American Journal of Public Health, the Lancet, and the International Journal of Drug Policy.  Her work has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the San Francisco Department of Public Health, among others. 

She earned the doctorate in public health in 2011 at the University of California, Berkeley.

The awards, established by President Clinton in 1996, are coordinated by the Office of Science and Technology Policy within the Executive Office of the President.