Biography
Claire E. Sterk, PhD, is an internationally renowned public health scholar, recognized for spurring paradigm shifts in public health, with a focus on women's health, mental health, and substance abuse. As the Charles Howard Candler Professor in Public Health, she is actively engaged with the doctoral program in the Department of Behavioral, Social and Health Education Sciences at the Rollins School of Public Health. Dr. Sterk is a member of the Cancer Prevention and Control Research Program at Winship Cancer Institute.
Dr. Sterk served as Emory University's 20th President (2016-2020) and 6th Provost (2012-2016). Additionally, she served as Senior Vice Provost (2005-2012). She has been on the faculty of the Rollins School of Public Health since 1995, where she also served as inaugural associate dean for research (2004-2005) and chair of the Department of Behavioral Science and Health (2000-2005). She has served on 37 dissertation committees and chaired more than 50 master’s theses, while serving as a committee member on an additional 25+ thesis committees.
Education
Dr. Sterk earned her PhD from Erasmus University in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. She earned a graduate degree from the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands and an undergraduate degree from the Free University in Amsterdam.
Titles & Roles
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President EmeritaEmory University
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Charles Howard Candler Professor and Vice Chair, Department of Behavioral, Social and Health SciencesRollins School of Public Health
Professional Memberships
Among her professional recognitions are the election to the National Academy of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (Fellow). She is also a member of the Council on Foreign Affairs.