Barbara K. Rimer, DrPH, MPH
About
Barbara K. Rimer, DrPH, MPH, serves as Dean Emerita and Alumni Distinguished Professor at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health.
She also is the author of over 270 peer-reviewed articles. Her research has explored multiple areas, especially motivating people to be screened for cancer and enhancing their informed decision making.
Dean Rimer is the first woman and behavioral scientist to chair the National Cancer Institute's National Cancer Advisory Board. She was elected to the Institute of Medicine in 2008 and was appointed by President Obama to serve on the President’s Cancer Panel, which she chaired from 2011 to January 2019. In 2013, she was awarded the American Cancer Society’s Medal of Honor for her cancer control research.
Learn more about Dean Rimer’s leadership in an interview by Chancellor Emeritus James Moeser, in the "Good to Great at Carolina: Lessons in Leadership" series.
Honors and Awards
Order of the Golden Fleece
2013, UNC-Chapel Hill
Blue Ribbon Gala Honoree
2013, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, UNC-Chapel Hill
Order of the Grail-Valkyries
2012, UNC-Chapel Hill
American Cancer Society's Medal of Honor
2013, American Cancer Society
CECCR Leadership Award
2011, National Cancer Institute, NIH
Elected to Institute of Medicine
2008, Institute of Medicine
Award for Health Promotion
2004, HealthTrac
Health Diversity Award
2002, NCI
Distinguished Service Award
2000, American Cancer Society
Secretary's Award for Distinguished Service
2000, DHHS
Director's Award
2000, NIH
John McGovern Award in Health Promotion
1999, University of Texas, School of Public Health
Distinguished Achievement Award
1998, American Society of Preventive Oncology
Research Activities
Cancer
Evidence-based public health
Health behavior
Health communication
HPV vaccination
Service Activities
2018 - present: Member, Governor's Commission on Inclusion
2016 - 2017: Member, Blue Ribbon Panel, National Cancer Moonshot Initiative
2011 - present: Chair, President’s Cancer Panel (Presidential appointment)
2008 - 2015: At Large Member, Board of Directors, ASPPH (Elected)
2003 - 2015: Member, Task Force on Community Preventive Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Vice-Chair, 2004-2015)
Key Publications
Improving physician re commendations for HPV vaccination: the role of professional organizations. Hswen, Y., Gilkey, M.B., Rimer, B.K., & Brewer, N.T (2018). Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 44(1), 45-47.
School Entry Requirements and Coverag e of Nontargeted Adolescent Vaccines. Moss, J. L., Reiter, P. L., Rimer, B. K., Truong, Y.K., & Brewer, N. T. (2016). Pediatrics, 138(6), 45-47.
Health Behavior and Health Education: Theory, Research, and Practice. Fifth Edition. (3 chapters co-authored with editors, 1 additional chapter co-authored). Glanz, K., Rimer, B.K., Viswanath, K (2015). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
The effect of a decision aid intervention on decision making about coronary heart disease risk reduction: a randomized trial. Sheridan, S.L., Draeger, L., Pignone, M.P., Rimer, B.K., Bangdiwala, S.I., Cai, J., Gizlice, Z., Keyserling, T.C., Simpson Jr., R.J. (2014). BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making, 14(14), 1-11.
We screen newborns, don't we? Realizing the promise of public health genomics. Evans, J.P., Berg, J.S., Olshan, A.F., Magnuson, T., Rimer, B.K. (2013). Genetics in Medicine, 15(5), 332-334.
Women's intentions to receive cervical cancer screening with primary human papillomavirus testing. Ogilvie, G.S., Smith, L.W., van Niekerk, D.J., Khurshed, F., Krajden, M., Saraiya, M., Goel, V., Rimer, B.K., Greene, S.B., Hobbs, S., Coldman, A.J., Franco, E.L. (2013). International Journal of Cancer, 133(12), 2934-2943.
Education
- DrPH, Health Education, Johns Hopkins University, 1981
- MPH, Health Education, University of Michigan, 1973
- BA, English, University of Michigan, 1970