Sue Curry to assume NIH position, new role at UI

University of Iowa President Bruce Harreld has appointed Interim Executive Vice President and Provost Sue Curry to the position of administrative fellow in the Office of the President. Curry will divide her time between research and supporting major UI initiatives and will become senior adviser for preventive services for the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Sue Curry

Curry will begin the appointment on June 28, at which time Montserrat Fuentes, dean and professor in the College of Humanities & Sciences at the Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia, will become the UI’s new executive vice president and provost.

“I would like to thank Sue for her strong leadership and support for this institution as interim provost,” says Harreld. “We are proud that the NIH is recognizing her scholarship and expertise, and we are fortunate to retain such a dedicated advocate for faculty and research.”

Curry’s position will be half-time and will end no later than June 30, 2020. She will maintain her status as a tenured faculty member in the College of Public Health, where she also served as dean from 2008 until 2017, when she accepted the appointment of interim provost.

“It has been a pleasure and an honor to serve the University of Iowa,” Curry says. “I’m absolutely delighted to continue to work with and contribute to this community.”

In her work for the NIH, Curry will identify and advance areas of prevention research as well as advise on strategy and coordination between the NIH and its prevention-related partners.

Curry is recognized internationally for her expertise in behavioral science and translation of research findings into health policy. She is past chair of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force where she served as chair from 2018-2019, vice chair from 2016-2018, and as a member from 2009-2014. She was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2010, is a member of its Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice, and serves on the academy’s governing council.