Dear SPH Community,

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Associate Professor Francesca Beaudoin, MD, PhD, as Interim Chair of the Department of Epidemiology, effective July 1, 2021. Reporting directly to the Dean, the Chair will oversee the academic activities of the department and will provide oversight and leadership for important School- and University-wide activities and initiatives related to epidemiology. Professor Beaudoin will lead efforts to attract the best of the next generation of epidemiology faculty, strengthen the School’s ties to the Medical School and the hospitals, and will work with the School’s leadership to ensure continued excellence in scholarship, teaching, and service in the Department while supporting the growing needs of the School’s mission. She will succeed Professor David Savitz. He has performed in his usual exemplary manner, and I am extremely grateful for his service and leadership. Professor Beaudoin will also take over the role of Interim Director of the Center for Epidemiologic Research.

The Department of Epidemiology is home to 20 primary and over 30 affiliated faculty and 17 PhD students. Departmental faculty are world-renowned researchers with expertise in the areas of environmental health, global health, mental health, infectious disease, maternal and child health, health disparities, obesity, substance use, mindfulness, etiology of chronic disease, and epidemiologic methods. Our epidemiology faculty excel in research, education, and service covering the entire life-course for health outcomes in diverse populations, particularly focusing on critical windows of development.

Professor Beaudoin received her PhD in epidemiology from Brown in 2017 and her MD from UMass Medical School in 2006. Her residency in emergency medicine was from 2006 to 2010 across Rhode Island Hospital, Hasbro Children’s Hospital, and The Miriam Hospital, serving as Chief Resident from 2009-2010. She joined the Brown faculty in 2010. Professor Beaudoin is a member of the American College of Emergency Physicians, International Association for the Study of Pain, and the Rhode Island Medical Society. Her research interests are focused on reducing opioid-related harms through comparative effectiveness of pain treatments and harm reduction strategies for opioid use disorders. She is the PI or Co-PI of two active NIH grants, a large foundation award, and an R01 award from the CDC. She has a long track record of mentoring students, post-doctoral trainees, and faculty and is a mentor on two K-awards, a COBRE project, and two F-series grants related to pain management and opioids.

I am thrilled that Francesca will be serving as Interim Chair for Epidemiology. She will be a tremendous addition to our leadership team and joins us at a critical time as we implement the School’s operational plan while coming out of the pandemic. She is and has been a fabulous collaborator and will be a strong strategic partner. Please join me in congratulating Francesca on her new position, and in thanking David for yet another successful leadership tenure.

Warm regards,

Ashish K. Jha, MD, MPH
Dean, School of Public Health
Professor of Health Services, Policy & Practice