Dear Members of the School of Public Health Community,

On my first day as Academic Dean of Brown University’s School of Public Health, I write to you with enthusiasm, optimism and humility. I am tremendously excited to work with you, to deepen and build new partnerships and coalitions, to create and iterate with you as we transform how the world teaches, studies, and practices public health.

Dean Jha created this position in response to the need for a chief academic officer at the School who can work closely with faculty, associate deans, and other members of our academic community to advance impactful research and discovery, support current and new educational programs and pathways, and forge strategic partnerships to ensure that communities benefit from the science we undertake.

Although almost everything has changed with the pandemic, we already have tremendous expertise in teaching, research and community engagement here at SPH. This new role was created to better support these functions and further our ability to build together.

Working closely with Dean Jha and colleagues in the Dean’s office, School leadership, the larger Brown community, our affiliated hospital systems and beyond, I will strive to support an environment that enhances our academic community, while also making sure to be inclusive of all of our voices and interests. Together, we have the potential to redefine public health scholarship, education and practice for the next quarter-century.

Underpinning all of these efforts is our shared resolve to promote a community that is bound by a sense of belonging, and to the values of social justice and improving health equity. In the coming months, we will offer additional formal and informal gatherings and events designed to increase our awareness of each other’s work, and strengthen our sense of community.

I’m thrilled to work with all of you to shape and move forward on these initiatives and many others. I welcome opportunities to hear from you directly, so please reach out or join me during weekly office hours for faculty (beginning tomorrow, December 16) or for students (beginning in January.) You can email rebecca_laferriere@brown.edu for a schedule.

As we enter a new year, we are at a moment of both great promise and great need. Together, we can make a difference.

Sincerely,

Megan L. Ranney, MD, MPH, FACEP
Academic Dean, School of Public Health, Brown University
Director, Brown-Lifespan Center for Digital Health
Warren Alpert Endowed Professor of Emergency Medicine / Behavioral and Social Sciences / Health Services, Policy and Practice