Weekly news from the School of Public Health at Washington University in St. Louis
Dear colleagues,
The past week, in the world
The world continues to be a challenging place, reminding us, lest we forget, of the importance of the work of health, to push back against those who would harm the health of populations. In some ways it is hard to know how to wrap one’s brain around the challenges of the moment. Directives on federal funding that emerged that, at the end of the week, were rescinded. Other actions remain troubling, particularly the stop-work order on international work funded by the U.S. government. This halts the work of U.S.-funded health agencies all over the world. It stops vaccination programs and the delivery of medicines in some of the areas of the world that need them most. It also has real implications for the jobs of thousands, all at a moment’s notice. I have written before that it is important to allow space for different visions of governance to emerge as a new administration takes over. But it also feels reasonable to point out that policy change needs to be alert to its consequences. It is therefore on us to not look away, and to continue to push forward on the work that promotes health, even as, and perhaps particularly when, the moment is challenging as is this one. We do just that through our writing, speaking, and teaching, and, as part of the project we are currently engaged in, through building an excellent School of Public Health.
The past week, at the School of Public Health
We had a full week of events at the school and in engaging with the university in the past week, including a Talking Public Health seminar, archived here, and a presentation at the university Assembly Series, archived here.
I draw attention to our first Thinking Public Health discussion that engaged faculty, staff, and students on the topic of the importance of symbols and statements. It was a most interesting discussion that certainly informed and shaped my thinking. A reminder that these are monthly, in-person only Chatham House rule discussions aimed for us to have space to tangle with some difficult issues. I look forward to our next conversation in February on how we push the agenda of public health forward in divided times.
I also had the opportunity to speak more informally, together with Dean Dorian Traube, with Brown School faculty, staff, and students. I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to engage with our colleagues at the Brown School always. I am aware, as I have said in many of my remarks, of the complexity of the task of building a new school. That we are all navigating the moment, as we are, with grace and forbearance for the short-term bumps, is testament to the commitment of this community to a shared vision. For that I could not be more grateful, thank you.
Joining the School of Public Health
We have a new member of the Dean’s Cabinet to announce and welcome. Angela Hobson, PhD, MPH, is our Associate Dean of Education and a teaching professor. Angela joins the school from the Brown School, where she was on the faculty for eight years. Angela will lead educational programs at the school, including doctoral and master’s programs, student affairs, and academic records. She will retain a courtesy appointment as Associate Dean for Public Health at the Brown School through spring 2026, as the educational programs transition to the School of Public Health.
Maura Kepper joins the School of Public Health faculty as an assistant professor. She previously served as an assistant professor at the Brown School, where she has been for six years. Maura will continue her research and teaching, focused on behavior change, digital health, and implementation science. She also will continue as a member of the Prevention Research Center.
Looking ahead
We also have three Talking Public Health seminars scheduled this week.
At noon Tuesday, Feb. 4, Mengmeng Ji, PhD, an instructor in the Division of Public Health Sciences at WashU Medicine, will speak on “Harnessing artificial intelligence for public health: Applications in obesity research.” The talk will be in 333A Goldfarb Hall on the Danforth Campus. RSVP here to attend in person or on Zoom.
At noon Wednesday, Feb. 5, Carrie Breton, ScD, MPH, a professor of population and public health sciences and director of the Maternal and Developmental Risks from Environmental and Social Stressors (MADRES) Center for Environmental Health Disparities at the University of Southern California, will speak on “Impact of the prenatal environment and stress on child health and biology.” The talk will be in 333A Goldfarb Hall on the Danforth Campus. RSVP here to attend in person or on Zoom.
And at noon Thursday, Feb. 6, Katherine Dowdell, PhD, MS, a National Science Foundation postdoctoral research fellow in biology at the University of Texas at Austin, will speak on “Opportunistic pathogens in municipal drinking water: Combating a threat to public health.” The talk will be in 333A Goldfarb Hall on the Danforth Campus. RSVP here to attend in person or on Zoom.
I look forward to seeing members of our community at these events as you are able to.
Public Health Ideas
A video of my conversation with Karen Joynt Maddox, MD, MPH, an associate professor at WashU Medicine and at the Brown School, on “Forecasting the Economic Burden of Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke in the United States Through 2050: A Presidential Advisory From the American Heart Association,” is here. Thank you to Professor Joynt Maddox for being a part of this.
Also this week
New York Times journalist and filmmaker Adam Ellick will join us for a fireside chat about global storytelling, at 4 p.m. Monday, Feb. 3, in Clark-Fox Forum in Hillman Hall. See here to register.
And if interested, this week a blog in The Healthiest Goldfish on “The political decision that health matters.”
As we enter February, I have now been here a month. It has been a full month, a very good month. Thank you to the many, many who have been so kind as to afford me some of their time as I continue to learn about this university, city, state. It has been a privilege to have these conversations, to engage together, to think about how we are and will be building together. Thank you.
Warmly,
Sandro
Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH
Margaret C. Ryan Dean of the School of Public Health
Eugene S. and Constance Kahn Distinguished Professor in Public Health
Washington University in St. Louis
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