PHILADELPHIA -- Irma T. Elo, associate professor of sociology at the University of Pennsylvania, has been appointed chair of the Board of Scientific Counselors for the National Center for Health Statistics.

NCHS is America's principal health statistics agency.  NCHS collects data from birth and death records, medical records and interview surveys and through direct physical exams and laboratory testing to compile statistical information to guide actions and policies to improve public health.

Elo's research focuses on socioeconomic and racial/ethnic differences in health and mortality across the life course and effects of early life conditions on adult outcomes. She has served on various advisory panels and review committees organized by the National Institutes of Health and National Center for Health Statistics.