Susan J. Curry, PhD

Dr. Susan Curry is recognized internationally for her expertise in health behavior research and translation of research findings into health policy. Her extensive research in tobacco includes publications on motivation to quit smoking, randomized trials of promising smoking cessation and prevention interventions, evaluations of the use and cost effectiveness of tobacco cessation treatments under different health insurance plans, and health care costs and utilization associated with tobacco cessation. Dr. Curry’s research also encompasses studies of dietary change, modification of risky drinking patterns, and methods of increasing compliance with recommended cancer screening.

Dr. Curry has been honored by the American Society for Preventive Oncology with the Joseph R. Cullen Memorial Award for distinguished research in smoking. She received the Distinguished Scientist Award from the Society of Behavioral Medicine in 2001. Dr. Curry is a Fellow in the Society of Behavioral Medicine and the American Psychological Association.

Dr. Curry has served on numerous national advisory boards including the National Cancer Policy Board of the Institute of Medicine, the Tobacco Cessation Consortium of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Subcommittee on Cessation of the Interagency Committee on Smoking and Health (DHHS). She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the American Legacy Foundation and the Board of Scientific Advisors of the National Cancer Institute.

Prior to joining the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2001, Dr. Curry was professor of health services in the School of Public Health and Community Medicine at the University of Washington, and director and senior investigator at the Center for Health Studies, Group Health Cooperative, Seattle, Wash.  In August 2008, she became dean of the College of Public Health at the University of Iowa.