Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to introduce Sarah Bouchard, who began last week as our new Director of Community Engagement for the School of Public Health.

Sarah is charged with optimizing the School of Public Health’s approach to civic and community engagement through facilitating relationships between SPH, community leaders, and stakeholders across the University. As Director, she is responsible for ensuring that our community engagement work, writ large, is rooted in sustained and meaningful relationships with the local community and maximizes existing institutional efforts. She will work closely with Vice President MJ Callan and will report to me.

Sarah is a native Rhode Islander who received her BA in International Studies, MSW in Clinical Social Work (with a concentration in Health + Mental Health), and MA in Pastoral Ministry from Boston College. She also holds a graduate certificate in Human Rights and International Justice and is a Licensed Certified Social Worker in the state of Massachusetts. Most recently, she worked as Director of Academic Partnerships for the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers – where she was charged with leading, planning, and directing statewide academic partnership strategy, supporting workforce development, and experiential learning opportunities with the 52 community health centers across Massachusetts. Prior to that role, she spent 7 years at MIT, where she served as the Assistant Dean of Community Based Programs with the PKG Center for Public Service; in this role, she dramatically grew and deepened their community-based work. She is also a field advisor with the Boston College School of Social Work.

Sarah is passionate about working with communities to forge partnerships that address social challenges and advance human rights. She has worked with a variety of nonprofits, international NGOs, and institutions to support underserved populations, promote individual and community health, and foster community-engaged partnerships.

Her mission intersects closely with our leadership, students, and faculty in education, DEI, faculty affairs, and research. As such, she will be reaching out to many of you in the months to come to learn about your connections and perspectives.

I look forward to her working with all of us to advance our community engagement efforts.

Please join me in welcoming Sarah!

Warmly,

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