Dong-Chul Seo, professor in the Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington (SPH-B) Department of Applied Health Science, continues to garner accolades for his commitment to the advancement of science.
The New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM) formally appointed Dr. Seo a Fellow of the organization on July 16. According to NYAM, organization Fellows "are top practitioners, academics and policy makers in their fields, which span medicine, nursing, social work, public health, administration, health policy, pharmacy, dentistry, law and government" who collaborate to address critical health issues in both New York City and around the world.
Dr. Seo is also this year’s recipient of the André G. Stanley Memorial Health Equity Award, presented annually by the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs (ATOD) Section of the American Public Health Association (APHA). The award "honors an individual who has contributed to public health efforts to build health equity and reduce health disparities in the areas of substance use." He will receive the award at the APHA Annual Meeting and Expo in Minneapolis this fall.
Dr. Seo’s research focuses on addiction behaviors and the health problems frequently associated with them. In April, he was named a “Community Champion” by the College on Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD).
"I am honored and humbled by these awards," says Dr. Seo. "I am pleased that they reflect my community-based participatory research work, MACRO-B Project, to prevent overdose deaths in Black communities in Indianapolis. We have achieved a 27% decrease in overdose deaths among Black residents in the target communities. The credit should go to the dedicated community partners and MACRO-B coalition members."
He has received significant funding over the years for ambitious efforts to address public health issues such as opioid-related deaths in people with a higher risk of overdose.
"Dr. Seo has had an impressive career using complex statistical analyses to achieve real-world impact," says Jon Agley, SPH-B associate professor and director of research at Indiana University's Prevention Insights. "It is an honor to work with him. He is a great asset to our school and profession."
In addition to being a newly appointed Fellow of NYAM, Dr. Seo is a Fellow of the American Academy of Health Behavior (AAHB) and served as its president in 2014–15. He is a five-time winner of the Indiana University Trustees Teaching Award, presented every year to select IU Bloomington faculty "who have had a positive impact on student learning, especially undergraduates."
For more stories about SPH-B students, faculty, and staff making a big difference both locally and worldwide, visit go.iu.edu/48bx.