Executive Office and Office of Strategic Initiatives

The Office of Strategic Initiatives manages strategic initiatives in alignment with the School of Public Health dean’s leadership and vision, and provides administrative, events, special projects, and continuous-improvement support for all other offices in the school and university. This office ensures that the dean’s office runs smoothly and helps implement the dean’s priorities. Within this office is the special projects unit, which coordinates projects, programs and events that elevate the school. This unit works closely with the events unit to ensure coordinated events and programming for audiences external to the school. The continuous-improvement unit focuses on building school strategy, creating measures and metrics, and evaluating outcomes. This unit is also responsible for organizing the various committees that govern the school, and it coordinates with the accrediting body (CEPH) and other national organizations to report outcomes on behalf of the school.

  • Contact: Amanda Rhodes, associate dean for strategic initiatives and chief of staff.

Office of Faculty Affairs

The Office of Faculty Affairs aims to foster success of all faculty at every stage of their careers, partnering with all faculty to build a thriving academic community and achieve excellence in public health teaching, research, and service. The office provides support and resources to foster professional development; enhance work-life balance; cultivate a supportive and inclusive environment; facilitate faculty-administration communication; and provide guidance on academic policies and procedures.

  • Contact: Debra Haire-Joshu, associate dean of faculty affairs, Joyce and Chauncy Buchheit Professor in Public Health.

Office of Education

The Office of Education encompasses the doctoral and master’s academic programs; student applied practice; student affairs; academic records and advising; and admissions and recruitment. The office aims to attract, support and prepare public health scholars so that they may meaningfully engage in careers that advance population health in the communities they serve and well beyond.

  • Contact: Angela Hobson, associate dean for education, professor.

Office of Research Affairs

The Office of Research Affairs aims to foster and support interdisciplinary public health research by providing an enhanced grant acquisition and management environment. The primary role of the office is to support the research ecosystem within the School of Public Health. The office provides centralized administrative support for principal investigators at the school, and serves as its primary liaison to the Office of the Vice Chancellor of Research for the management, regulatory and compliance aspects of identifying and developing research opportunities, preparing research proposals and maintaining high-quality conduct of research at the school.

  • Contact: Lisa Klesges, interim associate dean for research.

Office of Networks & Innovation

The Office of Networks & Innovation oversees the School of Public Health’s Innovation Research Networks (IRNs). These are dynamic, highly collaborative research hubs that will imagine and respond to frontiers in public health research, situating interdisciplinarity at their cores. The IRNs are comprised of researchers in the school, as well as from WashU’s other schools, and with researchers, practitioners and leaders from the communities that we work with and serve.

  • Contact: Morven McLean, executive director of networks and innovation and professor of practice.

Office of Practice

The Office of Practice works in partnership with local populations and organizations that engage in the daily work of implementing policies and distributing resources that make a difference in the health of communities. The office is a catalyst that will move the school forward in three areas: generating evidence that can lead to action; translating our work so it will be familiar to those who work in the implementation space; and building partnerships to catalyze action. The office oversees and organizes the school’s partnerships in local, national, and global communities where we aspire to make a difference.

  • Contact: Amanda Rhodes, associate dean for strategic initiatives and chief of staff.

Office of Communication

The Office of Communication is responsible for managing the School of Public Health’s internal and external communications, building and managing the school’s website and social media channels, and telling stories via multiple channels about the school, its work, its people and key events through writing, graphics, videography and photography. The office also works closely with University Marketing and Communications regarding stories about the school, media inquiries, and marketing and branding efforts; with Advancement regarding donor-related needs; and with Admissions, Education, Faculty Affairs and the school’s research channels regarding storytelling, website and other communication needs.

Office for Administration

The Office for Administration ensures the effective and strategic management of the school’s core operations, enabling our academic and research mission to thrive. The office oversees administrative functions including financial management, grants administration, facilities and operations, and support services. The office collaborates closely with shared administrative resources across the university to align local practices with institutional standards, improve efficiency, and ensure compliance. The office’s aim is to provide a strong administrative foundation that supports innovation, accountability, and the school’s long-term success.

  • Contact: Sunghei Han, associate dean for administration