Dean LaVeist names new senior associate dean

Dean Thomas LaVeist has named Dr. Christine Arcari as senior associate dean for academic affairs for the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, effective September first. Arcari is an epidemiologist who currently serves as associate dean for academic and student affairs at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) College of Public Health. 

“We had a number of excellent candidates for this important role, but Dr. Arcari’s leadership experience in strategic planning, academic affairs, and faculty development stood out, especially as we seek to fill Dr. LuAnn White’s shoes,” LaVeist said in his announcement. Earlier this year, White announced she would be stepping down as her first move toward retirement after a 10-year tenure as senior associate dean and numerous roles in school leadership. White will remain in the senior associate dean position through the end of August.

“Dr. Arcari has also been instrumental in cultivating a diverse and inclusive college community at UNMC, which is critically important in higher education today,” LaVeist added.

Arcari earned a master’s in public health from the University of South Florida in community and family health and a doctorate in epidemiology from Johns Hopkins University. She began her career in the Hepatitis Branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She has also served in academic roles at the University of Wisconsin and the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.

She joined UNMC in 2017, where she has led a collaborative process to completely redesign the existing MPH, MS, PhD, and certificate programs using a “backward design process.” Under her tenure, the college developed new degrees, including a DrPH in Public Health Practice, and new certificate programs. She also restructured the college’s online program, expanding offerings from one to seven MPH concentrations. 

“My career ambition is to drive innovation and lead change in public health education,” said Arcari. “I want to find creative solutions to make public health education accessible, strengthen student engagement, improve teaching effectiveness, and develop workforce-ready students.”

Arcari has contributed to numerous journal publications and abstracts and has earned many honors and awards over the course of her career, including several teaching awards. Her research interests include public health education and infectious diseases.