Public Health professor to lead national honorary organization

During the annual national meeting of the American Public Health Association earlier this month, Keith Zullig, Ph.D., department chair and professor in the West Virginia University School of Public Health, was elected as Chair-Elect for the Delta Omega Honorary Society.

Zullig, who leads the School’s Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, has served on the organization’s executive committee as a Member At Large since 2016 and will serve as Chair-Elect until 2020 before assuming the role of Chair until 2022. 

The Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health was founded in 1924 at Johns Hopkins University within the School of Hygiene and Public Health to promote the study of public health and recognize outstanding achievement in the new field. It is public health’s only honorary society. The executive committee is responsible for governance of the society, as well as advising on issues related to the society’s mission and management.

“It is a privilege to work with our excellent executive committee members to recognize excellence and advance the professional development of future leaders in our discipline,” Zullig said. “When we started our chapter here at WVU in 2012, I had no idea how rewarding the work would be at the local level or how successful our chapter could be. I am honored and pleased to continue working on the national level.”

There are over 100 chapters and 20,000 members throughout the world. Members are inducted by chapters through a highly selective process that assesses their outstanding performance and devotion to the field.

WVU’s Gamma Mu chapter of the Delta Omega Honorary Society is well recognized at the national level. Since 2013, the student organization has earned six consecutive Chapter of the Year awards, recognizing their commitment to community service and volunteerism. During this time, School of Public Health graduate students have also been successful in submitting their research to represent the chapter at the annual national meeting of the American Public Health Association each fall. Zullig served as the faculty advisor of the WVU chapter from 2012 to 2018. Assistant Professor Elizabeth Claydon now serves as the group’s advisor.