The office of prevention, education and outreach at Iowa State’s Student Health Center has named Elizabeth Knurek as its new supervisor.

Randy Mayer has served as the interim supervisor since Mary Engstrom retired last June. He will continue at the Health Center as the evaluation and research coordinator.

Knurek said her job will include looking at priorities. She said she will be looking for student input into how the Student Health Center can “be more sensitive to needs and help students improve their lives at ISU.”

Knurek said she is excited about the opportunity to make the Student Health Center a more inviting place for students and hopes to identify what kinds of programs and services are most needed.

“It is great to have someone with Elizabeth’s backround and education working with us at the Health Center,” Mayer said. “We share similar philosophies on how to approach primary prevention on campus.”

Knurek moved to Ames two years ago with her husband, who is a professor of zoology and genetics at ISU. She grew up in Fairviw Park, Ohio, and received a bachelor’s of science degree from Georgetown and a master’s degree in public health from Michigan.

Before moving to Ames, Knurek was an evaluation consulant with The National Healthy Start Infant Mortality Prevention Intiative with the Intertibal Council. She worked with Native American communities for the past six years.

Knurek said she can relate to the wide variety of people at ISU.

“I feel like I have a lot of things in common with the different constituents here,” she said.