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Office of the Dean

Dean Ashish K. Jha

A global leader driving public health research, policy, and practice, Dr. Jha joined the Brown University School of Public Health as dean in September 2020.

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Dean Ashish K. Jha

A global leader driving public health research, policy, and practice, Dr. Jha joined the Brown University School of Public Health as dean in September 2020.

An accomplished and practicing physician, Dr. Jha is recognized globally as a trusted expert on major issues impacting public health, and a catalyst for new thinking and approaches. A long-time leader on pandemic preparedness and response, from directing groundbreaking research on Ebola to serving on the frontlines of the COVID-19 response, he has led national and international analysis of key issues and advised local and federal policy makers around the world.

President Joe Biden appointed Dr. Jha as White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator in March 2022, describing him as “one of the leading public health experts in America.” Dr. Jha led the work that increased the development of and access to treatments and newly formulated vaccines, dramatically improved testing and surveillance, facilitated major investments in indoor air quality measures, and put in place an infrastructure to respond to current and future disease outbreaks more effectively. He has received bipartisan praise for his pragmatic approach to public health that, in the words of President Biden, “translates…complex scientific challenges into concrete actions” that help improve millions of lives. 

Before joining the Brown University School of Public Health, Dr. Jha was a professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Harvard Medical School. He was the faculty director of the Harvard Global Health Institute from 2014 until 2020 and has held other various leadership roles at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Dr. Jha has published nearly three hundred original research publications in prestigious journals and has consistently been ranked in the top 1% of most cited researchers. He is also a frequent contributor to a range of public media across the political spectrum, focused on how science and evidence can be used to craft better policy and improve health both in the US and around the globe. 

Dr. Jha was born in Pursaulia, Bihar, India in 1970. He moved to Toronto, Canada in 1979 and then to the United States in 1983. In 1992 Dr. Jha graduated Magna Cum Laude from Columbia University with a B.A. in economics. He received his M.D. from Harvard Medical School in 1997 and then trained as a resident in Internal Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. He returned to Boston to complete his fellowship in General Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. In 2004, he completed his Master of Public Health degree at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Jha was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2013.

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Would you like Dean Jha to speak at your upcoming forum, symposium, or other event?

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2025-04 CCEH Center launch
1 of 25

April 2025: Launching the Center for Climate, Environment & Health

2025-04 Barnes lecture
2 of 25

April 2025: Barnes Lecture with lawyer and environmental activist Monica Medina

2025-02 Amo
3 of 25

February 2025: Dean's Conversation with US Congressman Gabe Amo

2024-11 Ebi
4 of 25

November 2024: Conversation with Kristie Ebi

2024-08 Pandemic event
5 of 25

August 2024: Pandemic Center event in Washington, D.C. "COVID-19 & the Coming of Age of the Nigeria CDC"

2024-05 HES brunch
6 of 25

May 2024: Addressing the Health Equity and NextGen Scholars during Commencement weekend.

2024-05 commencement
7 of 25

May 2024: Presenting the Public Health Champion Award to Rosa DeLauro

2024-05: Opioids forum
8 of 25

May 2024: Jha leads a Commencement Forum on the opioids crisis.

2024-04 CHeSS
9 of 25

April 2024: Jha leads a panel discussion at the launch of the Center for Health System Sustainability

2024-03 Jha with slides
10 of 25

March 2024: Dean Jha presents some of the major new initiatives at the School.

2024-03 staff town hall
11 of 25

March 2024: Staff Town Hall.

2024-03 India Consul General
12 of 25

March 2024: India's Consul General brought gifts for Ashish and the school. (credit: Rob Hancock)

2024-03 CAHPR launch
13 of 25

March 2024: CAHPR launch event. L-R: Andy Ryan, Dean Jha, Erica Socker, David Meyers, Erin Fuse Brown, Jonathan Blum. (credit: Kea Taylor, Imagine Photography)

2024-02 Tuckson and Jha
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February 2024: A conversation with Dr. Reed Tuckson.

2024-01 Pandemic Center
15 of 25

January 2024: Dean Jha helps inaugurate Brown's new Pandemic Center office in New Washington, D.C. (Credit: Kaveh Sardari)

2024-01 World Economic Forum
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January 2024: Dean Jha discusses health and healthcare at the World Economic Forum's annual meeting at Davos. (credit:Sebastien Crettaz)

2023-09 Sept Jha and McKee
17 of 25

September 2023: Dean Jha speaks with Daniel McKee, Governor of Rhode Island, at SPH's 10 Year Anniversary kickoff celebration (credit: Rythum Vinoben)

2023-09 Sept Posing for photo
18 of 25

September 2023: Dean Jha poses for a selfie with Brown students and guest speaker Ron Klain at a "Dean's Conversation" event

2023-09
19 of 25

September 2023: President Christina H Paxson and Dean Jha have unmoderated discussion about the founding of the School of Public Health during SPH's 10 Year Anniversary kickoff celebration (credit: Rythum Vinoben)

2022-03 Jha teaching a class
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March 2022: In the classroom (credit: Meg Lackie)

3-22 Jha town hall
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March 2022: All-school Town Hall

9-21 Doctoral students
22 of 25

September 2021: Doctoral student orientation

9-21 State of the School
23 of 25

September 2021: State of the School address (credit: David DelPoio)

9-21 Jha and students
24 of 25

September 2021: Master's student orientation

2021-01 walks
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Jan 2021: Morning walks with students (credit: David DelPoio)

https://www.youtube.com/embed/WsiMUorZ7BA

Commencement Keynote

 

Dean Jha speaks to the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania's 2024 graduating class

Recent Announcements from Dean Jha

May 8, 2025 School of Public Health Dean's Office

SPH Student Award Winners & Speakers

The 2025 student award winners and student speakers for commencement
May 2, 2025 News from SPH

From clean air to climate action: A conversation on human health and the environment

At the 26th annual Barnes Lecture, environmental law expert and former U.S. Special Envoy Monica Medina issued a stark warning about the urgent health and safety risks posed by climate change, urging sustained public attention and investment in science-driven systems like NOAA to safeguard lives and the planet.
April 14, 2025 School of Public Health Dean's Office

Announcement | Public Health Research Day Poster Winners

Please join us in congratulating and celebrating the poster winners from Public Health Research Day 2025

Announcements from the Dean

Read updates and news from Dean Jha and the Office of the Dean.

Read More

Speaker/Event Request

Would you like Dean Jha to speak at your upcoming forum, symposium, or other event? Submit event details through our request form.

Submit Event Request
Brown University School of Public Health
Providence RI 02903 401-863-3375 public_health@brown.edu

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Dean Ashish K. Jha