Title: Research Professor
Company: Emory University
Location: Highlands, North Carolina, United States
Scott J.N. McNabb, PhD, MS, research professor at Emory University, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Educators for dedication, achievements, and leadership in public health.
Building on 45 years in public health and academia, Dr. McNabb currently serves as a research professor at Emory University, an adjunct professor in the department of epidemiology and biostatistics at the King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences’ College of Public Health and Health Informatics, and a managing partner at Public Health Practice LLC. Prior to 2010, he contributed as the associate director of science for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for Public Health Informatics and as an adjunct associate professor at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health. From 2003 to 2005, Dr. McNabb took on the role of senior epidemiologist at the National Center for HIV, Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention. He established himself as an expert in the public health field through such positions as associate professor of biostatistics, epidemiology and allied health sciences at Tulane University’s School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, epidemic intelligence service officer at the Louisiana Department of Health, and editor of the Epidemiology Bulletin at the Oklahoma State Department of Health. His early career includes time as an adjunct assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center’s College of Medicine. His professional journey began at the Oklahoma State Health Department’s microbiology division, where he joined as a microbiologist in 1979 and was promoted to director of the section in 1986.
Though he’s had an extensive history in various spheres of the public health industry, Dr. McNabb has especially embraced teaching. As a professor at Emory University, he heads classes that combine science with oral and written communication, helping students learn how to effectively convey complex scientific information to the public at large. Dr. McNabb also offers online classes at the University of Georgia and Columbia University. In addition to his responsibilities as a professor, he continues research related to public health, including heading a course on public health surveillance and working on new methods of tracking data aided by artificial intelligence.
Dr. McNabb’s many accomplishments wouldn’t be possible without a strong academic foundation, beginning with a Bachelor of Science in zoology at the University of Oklahoma in 1972. While attending the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, he obtained a Master of Science in microbiology and immunology in 1979 and completed a predoctoral fellowship at the College of Medicine’s department of pulmonary medicine the same year. Dr. McNabb earned a PhD in microbiology and immunology from the same institution in 1986. Prior to pursuing his education, he served in the United States military during the Vietnam War. Dr. McNabb has published numerous articles in professional journals and wrote his first book, “Modernizing Global Health Security to Prevent, Detect, and Respond,” in 2013.
Well-regarded for his contributions to the field, Dr. McNabb received the Charles C. Shepard Award from the CDC in 2005, the Group Honor Award for Outstanding Work from the CDC’s Tuberculosis Epidemiological Studies Consortium in 2004, and the On-the-Spot Award for Outstanding Work in Designing and Conducting from the Summer 2000 Epidemic Intelligence Officer Field Survey. Other honors given to Dr. McNabb include the Paul Harris Award, the Commendation Award from the CDC’s Eastern Europe and Former Soviet Union Polio Eradication and Diphtheria Control Team, the Young Investigator Program Award, and the Outstanding Achievement in Epidemiology Award.
As a commitment to public health, Dr. McNabb is an active member of the American Public Health Association. Through this organization, he’s able to stay updated on the latest developments in the industry and join colleagues in advocating for policy that serves and is informed by the research done in the space. Dr. McNabb also gives back to the community as a deacon for the Roman Catholic Church Diocese of Charlotte. He credits his deep faith as a primary factor in his success and believes in serving as a symbol of how commitment to one’s beliefs can guide oneself to helping others and being a source of good in the world.
Beyond his career, Dr. McNabb is a devoted husband, father to two and grandfather to two. In his free time, he finds joy in playing golf, boating, fishing, rafting and spending time with his beloved dog, Armani. Looking to the future, Dr. McNabb is attempting to secure funding for a number of pilot projects he and his colleagues have in the works. He hopes to collaborate with existing agencies that would also benefit from the research.
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