Dr. Tim Byers

Tim Byers, MD, MPH, associate director of the University of Colorado Cancer Center and professor and associate dean of public health practice at the Colorado School of Public Health, has been named second vice president of the American Cancer Society’s National Board of Directors for 2010-2011.

Byers was one of 11 new officers appointed to the volunteer board during the ACS’s annual meeting in Atlanta last week. The ACS National Assembly and National Board of Directors, comprising elected volunteers since the organization’s inception in 1913, are the primary governing bodies of the ACS, the nation’s largest voluntary health organization.

“I am honored to serve as an officer of the American Cancer Society,” said Byers. “The ACS is doing truly outstanding work in research, advocacy, education, and patient support at both the national and the grassroots levels. The hundreds of skilled staff and thousands of dedicated volunteers have helped the ACS lead the way toward the historic progress we are now making in cancer prevention and control. I look forward to doing whatever I can to help the Society have an even greater impact in the future.”

As a national recognized epidemiologist, Byers originally served as a peer reviewer in the Extramural Research Grants program and as a member of the epidemiology team planning for Cancer Prevention Study- II analyses. He has been an ACS volunteer for nearly 30 years.

“Dr. Byers is a truly outstanding national figure in cancer prevention and a natural leader for the American Cancer Society,” said Dan Theodorescu, MD, PhD, director of the University of Colorado Cancer Center. “He has not only made significant contributions to the field of cancer epidemiology but has led our Cancer Center in this area to new heights. We are very proud and privileged to have him as our colleague.”

The additional 10 newly appointed board members include: President Edward E. Partridge, MD, of Birmingham, Ala.; Chair Stephen L. Swanson, of Allison Park, Penn; President-Elect W. Phil Evans, III, MD, FACR, of Dallas, Texas; Chair- Elect Cynthia M. LeBlanc, EdD, MA, of Richmond, Cal.; Vice Chair Gary M. Reedy, of Dresher, Penn.; Treasurer Daniel P. Heist, CPA, of State College, Penn.; Secretary Lila R. Johnson, RN, MPH, CHES, of Honolulu, HI; First Vice-President Vincent T. DeVita, Jr., MD, of New Haven, Conn.; Immediate Past President  Alan G. Thorson, MD, FACS, of Omaha, Neb.; and Immediate Past Chair  George W. P. Atkins of Atlanta, Ga.