UNLV Community Health Sciences Dean Mary Guinan was recently appointed president-elect of the American Medical Women's Association (AMWA), an advocacy organization that works to advance women in medicine and improve women's health.

Guinan, a physician and scientist, has served as dean of the UNLV School of Public Health (now School of Community Health Sciences) since its founding in 2004. Prior to that, Guinan spent more than 20 years with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, during which she served on a team charged with eradicating smallpox in India and later as a member of the first task force investigating the emerging AIDS epidemic in Africa. Guinan has also held the title of Nevada State Health Officer on two separate occasions, most recently from 2008 to 2009.

As president-elect, Guinan will assist in the direction of the AMWA's efforts to provide leadership development, education and mentoring to member physicians, medical students and residents, and health care professionals. For more information on the AMWA, please visit www.amwa-doc.org.