Mollye Demosthenidy named new dean of Newcomb-Tulane College

Mollye Demosthenidy, a nationally recognized expert in healthcare and associate dean for Strategic Initiatives in the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine (SPHTM), has accepted the appointment as the new dean of Newcomb-Tulane College (NTC), effective July 1. Her appointment follows an extensive national search that attracted outstanding candidates from across the country. 

“Mollye Demosthenidy has been an incredible asset to the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, so it comes as no surprise that she has been tapped for this important role," SPHTM Dean Thomas A. LaVeist said. "We’ll miss the day-to-day collaboration with Mollye, but I know she will make a positive impact on the undergraduate experience for Tulane students. We’re proud to have one of our own recognized this way!"

An award-winning and beloved professor, Demosthenidy joined Tulane University in 2011 and has been a stalwart leader in her dedication and service within her department and school, across the university and among her peers at the national level. During her exceptional service as Vice Chair of the University Senate, she worked with faculty, staff and students from across the institution. She has consistently been recognized for her work by her colleagues, the university and her students and is the recipient of numerous awards.

“Newcomb-Tulane College is the academic portal, quintessential and unique to Tulane, through which all full-time undergraduate students enter into the life of the university,” Tulane President Michael A. Fitts said. “Mollye’s extensive knowledge of Tulane’s unique undergraduate experience, combined with her innovative vision of how to support the next generation of NTC students, will enhance and elevate the scholarship, research opportunities and individual guidance offered through our historic and vital undergraduate college.”

“I am thrilled to take on the role of dean of Newcomb-Tulane College. As faculty, I have seen the unique role that NTC plays in the Tulane undergraduate experience, and I am honored to continue the work of making Tulane a place where all students thrive,” Demosthenidy said. “I am deeply appreciative to the search committee and all those involved in the search process for their thoughtfulness about the future of the College. It's an exciting time to be a Tulanian.” 

Demosthenidy also serves as a clinical professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management in the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. Her academic interests relate to the role of law and policy in improving healthcare outcomes and the intersection of law, politics and healthcare policy. She teaches courses on health care systems, health law and regulation, health policy and leadership at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

“The Deanship of Newcomb-Tulane College is a unique position, and it attracted a strong pool of scholar-administrators. From the very first meeting, the search committee was excited by Mollye’s candidacy, and that was echoed by everyone who met with her during this extensive search process,” said Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Robin Forman. “Mollye brings the breadth of perspective about, and the passion for, all aspects of undergraduate education, the ability to craft and communicate an exciting vision, the collaborative spirit necessary to build a community around our shared academic goals, and the administrative acumen necessary to move the school forward. Newcomb-Tulane College is a distinctive element of the Tulane education, and I am excited to see how it advances under Mollye’s leadership.”

Demosthenidy is well-known at NTC. She has served in various capacities there since 2015. She is a current member of the NTC Academic Integrity Committee and faculty principal for the NTC College Scholars Program. She also serves as a Residential Faculty Mentor in Butler Hall. Previously, she was an NTC Honor Board member, served as a faculty discussion leader for the NTC Reading Project and was a Fellow for NTC’s First Year Faculty Fellows Program. 

Throughout her career as a faculty member, Mollye has received numerous awards at SPHTM and was honored with the Mortar Board Teaching Award from the Newcomb Institute. She is a five-time recipient of the Outstanding Undergraduate Public Health Teaching Award and has been honored twice with the Student Government Association Teaching Excellence Award. She has also received the Dean E. Elaine Boston Award for Outstanding Long-Term Commitment to Students and was named to the Delta Omega Honor Society.

An acclaimed scholar, Demosthenidy was a member of the Tulane team that evaluated Louisiana’s Medicaid expansion. Her work has been published in Health Affairs and JAMA Network Open.

Before joining the faculty at Tulane, Demosthenidy practiced law at two New Orleans firms, focusing on regulatory and transactional issues healthcare providers face. 

A Louisiana native who hails from Alexandria, Demosthenidy received both her Juris Doctorate and Master of Health Administration from Tulane in 2007. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Louisiana State University in 2003.