Dean’s Leaders & Lagniappe Lecture Series: Speaker Bios

F. DuBois Bowman, PhD, is dean of the University of Michigan School of Public Health. Dr. Bowman is a renowned expert in the statistical analysis of brain imaging data. His work mines massive data sets and has important implications for mental and neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, depression, schizophrenia, and substance addiction. His work also explores the impact of environmental exposures on brain function and structure in youth. His research has helped reveal brain patterns that reflect disruption from psychiatric diseases, detect biomarkers for neurological diseases, and determine more individualized therapeutic treatments. Dr. Bowman received a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from Morehouse College, a Master of Science degree in Biostatistics from the University of Michigan, and a PhD in Biostatistics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Bowman is a member of the National Academy of Medicine, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a Fellow of the American Statistical Association

Dr. Ayman El-Mohandes, Dean of the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy (CUNY SPH), is a pediatrician and public health academic with a deep commitment to public service and community engagement. He is an established researcher in the field of infant mortality reduction in minority populations. Dr. El-Mohandes’ funded research focuses on population-based interventions in underserved communities both locally and globally. His publication record includes innovative approaches towards improving perinatal and neonatal outcomes in high-risk populations. Dr. El-Mohandes stepped down as the Chair of the Association of Schools and Programs in Public Health Board of Directors (ASPPH) in March 2023, and continues as a board member of the ASPPH. He serves on the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s Advisory Council and is an elected member of the American Pediatric Society and a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Nancy Messonnier, MD, is dean of the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and Bryson Distinguished Professor in Public Health. She has more than 25 years of experience as a public health leader, including as director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from 2014-2021. She was inducted into the National Academy of Medicine in 2021. Dean Messonnier’s dedication to achieving public health impact, both locally and globally, through successful implementation informs her leadership of the Gillings School across academics, research, practice, policy, and outreach.

Dr. Petersen is chief health officer and interim associate vice provost for student health and wellness, University of South Florida, senior associate vice president, USF Health and professor and dean, College of Public Health at the University of South Florida. She earned her masters and doctoral degrees in maternal and child health from The Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. She has been honored for her work by the American Public Health Association, the Delta Omega National Public Health Honor Society, the National Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition, the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs and the US Health Resources and Services Administration. In May 2021 she was presented a USF President’s Fellow Medallion for her work leading the USF COVID-19 Task Force. In October 2021, she received the Martha May Eliot award from the American Public Health Association.

Sandro Galea, a physician, epidemiologist, and author, is dean and Robert A. Knox Professor at Boston University School of Public Health. He previously held academic and leadership positions at Columbia University, the University of Michigan, and the New York Academy of Medicine. He has published extensively in the peer-reviewed literature, and is a regular contributor to a range of public media, about the social causes of health, mental health, and the consequences of trauma. He has been listed as one of the most widely cited scholars in the social sciences. He is past chair of the board of the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health and past president of the Society for Epidemiologic Research and of the Interdisciplinary Association for Population Health Science. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine. Galea has received several lifetime achievement awards. Galea holds a medical degree from the University of Toronto, graduate degrees from Harvard University and Columbia University, and an honorary doctorate from the University of Glasgow.

Hilary Godwin joined the University of Washington in 2018 as Dean of the School of Public Health and Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences. Prior to that, Godwin spent twelve years on the faculty at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and ten years in the Department of Chemistry at Northwestern University and held a number of different leadership positions at both institutions. She earned a PhD in Chemistry from Stanford University and a BS in Chemistry with honors from the University of Chicago. She is deeply committed to promoting the health of all people, locally and globally.

During her tenure, Dr. Collins responded to the COVID-19 emergency by completing nine months as New Mexico Secretary of Health. She returned to serve as dean of the College of Population Health at the University of New Mexico, bolstering the state’s public health and pandemic-response leadership. Collins has served in a variety of academic leadership roles, in addition to providing clinical care and conducting and overseeing clinical research. In addition to her clinical education and research in the United States, Collins has also lectured in Nepal and Kenya. She has produced more than 80 scholarly publications over the course of her career, and she maintains a clinical practice as a vascular specialist.
 

Paul Campbell Erwin, MD, DrPH is Dean of the School of Public Health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Organization. He is board certified in internal medicine, and public health and preventive medicine, and is a Fellow of the American College of Preventive Medicine. He is an associate editor of the American Journal of Public Health and a member of the editorial boards for Medical Education Cooperation with Cuba (MEDICC) Review and the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice.

Dr. Joshi is Dean and a Distinguished University Professor of the School of Public Health of the University of Memphis. He is an innovator, entrepreneur, educator, researcher, administrator, and mentor. Dr. Joshi conceptualized the SMAART model to advance achievement of Sustainable Development Goals. He aims to bring public health research into action through multisector partnerships, data-driven, evidence-informed, digital health interventions, innovations, and sustainable community programs to promote health equity.