Weekly news from the School of Public Health at Washington University in St. Louis
March 10, 2025
Dear colleagues,
I hope everyone has had a fine weekend. Before I begin today, I just wanted to write a brief note on gratitude and grace.
Let me begin with gratitude.
We are building a School of Public Health, and doing so in a time of national and geopolitical challenge. The moment is one of excitement and promise. And yet, there is a reason that WashU has not started a brand-new school in 100 years — it is hard to do, it requires effort and resources. The creation of this school is an investment in generations that come after us. So, gratitude goes first and foremost to the university for having the vision to build this school, and clarity of focus and intent to push forward in an uncertain world. Thank you.
As we are building the school, we also are working to create an ecosystem that encourages public health research throughout the university. Such an effort inevitably touches all other schools: the Brown School, School of Medicine, Arts & Sciences, McKelvey, Olin, School of Law, Sam Fox, and CAPS. We have intersected with the deans and other leaders in these schools, and all have been welcoming and have worked with us to move forward the elements that need to be put in place to create a school. To all of our colleagues in these schools, thank you.
I wanted to call out the Brown School in particular. Our efforts to build a School of Public Health affect the Brown School — where the public health program has long been housed — more than any other part of the university. We have had several faculty — and research staff who work on their teams — move to the School of Public Health. All of this is, unquestionably, disruptive. At Dean Dorian Traube’s invitation, I have had the privilege of discussing this with Brown School staff and faculty. As I mentioned in those meetings, we are deeply grateful to the partnership of the entire Brown School during the transition — students, staff, faculty, and leadership. I would like to call out in particular Siomari Collazo Colon, who, in her role as associate dean for administration at the Brown School, has been working tirelessly with our team to help with faculty and staff transfers. And I would like to publicly thank Dean Traube — who has been an indispensable partner throughout this process, helping envision a next step where the School of Public Health and the Brown School remain closely connected partners, and both stronger for having a vision for scholarship and teaching at WashU that elevates public health and social work. Thank you.
Now, a word about grace.
I recognize that building is, perhaps definitionally, disruptive. We build because it is the right thing to do, and the smart thing to do for us as a university. And yet, there are glitches and speed bumps, miscommunications and frictions along the way. These are not due to anyone’s malintent — they are just features of complex human systems going through change. It is on us — and particularly those of us who are primary members of the School of Public Health — to meet the moment always with patience and grace. I wanted to thank all members of our school community for just that, both in the past few weeks, and in the weeks and months to come.
I am now 10 weeks into this project here at WashU. I was excited about what we were going to do when I started — I am immeasurably more excited now. That is in large part because the more I learn about this community, the more I realize the potential there is here to build an exceptional School of Public Health, and a rich and vibrant ecosystem of population health science and scholarship. That is due to the extraordinary people at this university. It is the privilege of a lifetime to get to work with this community on this project. Thank you.
Now to a look back and a look ahead.
Joining the School of Public Health
We have several new staff members to announce this week.
Mary Adams, is the research administrator for the Prevention Research Center (PRC). Mary has worked with the center for over 16 years and is responsible for the pre- and post-award fiscal management of multiple grants and contracts within the PRC.
Carol Brownson, MSPH, is a public health specialist and project manager for the Evidence-based Public Health (EBPH) Training hosted by the Prevention Research Center. She also provides technical assistance to states trained to replicate the EBPH course.
Vianca Cuevas-Soulette, MPH, MBA, is manager of operations of the WashU Implementation Science Center for Cancer Control, where she oversees day-to-day operations, planning, evaluation and dissemination.
Linda Dix is a project coordinator for the Prevention Research Center and assistant to Dr. Ross Brownson. Linda helps to facilitate the Evidence-based Public Health Training and logistics of multiple training grants and research projects.
Dixie Duncan is a part-time research project coordinator for the Heartland Moves project. A native of rural Southeast Missouri, she has first-hand experience working with local agencies and residents to increase healthy behaviors.
Rebekah Jacob, MPH, MSW, is a data and methods strategist who provides data analysis and support to the Prevention Research Center’s initiatives and facilitates the development of the PRC’s data and methods infrastructure.
Renee Parks, MS, is a senior research manager with the Prevention Research Center, supporting community-engaged, applied prevention research, and working with community coalitions to enhance use of evidence-based policies for community health.
Cheryl Valko, MPH, RD, is the associate director of the Prevention Research Center. She oversees operations, communications, and strategic initiatives to enhance the center’s impact and plays a key role in driving the center’s vision forward through targeted projects and initiatives.
Sarah Eisenstein, PhD, works with the Center for Advancing Health Services, Policy and Economics Research as a data analyst. She also is a staff member of the Medicaid Policy Analysis Lab, working on analysis of rural health and Medicaid-related issues.
Eliot Jost, MPH, a data analyst, also works with the Center for Advancing Health Services, Policy and Economics Research and also is a staff member of the Medicaid Policy Analysis Lab, focused on analysis of rural health and Medicaid-related issues.
Ashley Gomel joins the school as a lab manager for Drs. Sara Malone and Maura Kepper. She brings expertise in epidemiology and public health emergencies, project management, and development work.
Rachel Matsumoto also will work with Drs. Malone and Kepper. Her work applies system dynamics and human-centered design to design-improved interventions and systems of health-care delivery.
Luke Zabotka will work as a coordinator for Dr. Malone. He brings expertise in data management and analysis as well as systematic review methods.
Maryse Rios-Hernandez, MPH, joins the school as research manager of the People, Health & Place Unit of the Prevention Research Center. Her background is in data management, strategic planning, and environmental health.
Alexandre Silva, PhD, joins as a postdoctoral research associate in the People, Health & Place Unit of the Prevention Research Center. His background is in physical activity, built environment, and public health, with skills focused on quantitative data collection and analysis.
Yi Wang, PhD, also joins as a postdoctoral research associate. Yi brings research expertise in housing policy, urban planning, and population health.
Zach Flauaus joins the school’s communications team as senior web developer/designer and digital strategist. He previously worked for several years on the marketing and communications team at the School of Medicine.
The past week
On Wednesday we held our monthly School Assembly. Thank you to everyone who was there. We discussed the challenges the world, and the university, face in the moment, and Dr. Angela Hobson presented on our progress toward accreditation. Notes from the meeting are archived here.
Thank you to Elisabeth Stelson, PhD, MPH, MSW, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She joined us for a Talking Public Health seminar last week. Her talk will be archived here.
The coming week
We welcome Jaime Miranda, MD, MSc, PhD, for our Talking Public Health seminar series this week, at noon Tuesday, March 11. He is a professor and head of the School of Public Health at the University of Sydney, and an International Distinguished Visiting Scholar, and will speak on “Rethinking Chronic Disease: From Healthcare Services to Sustainable Well-Being.” The talk will be in 333A Goldfarb Hall on the Danforth Campus, and is supported in part through funding from the Office of the Provost: Distinguished Visiting Scholar Program. RSVP here to attend in person or on Zoom.
Of note
We recently learned that some email correspondence from federal agencies has bypassed normal communication channels and been sent directly to investigators. Examples include termination notices, intent to terminate letters, stop work orders and requests to certify compliance with the recent executive orders. It would be good to ensure that all communications regarding the status of grants be shared with central research administration. Please forward all such correspondence to Krystina Gross at kgross@wustl.edu, copying me at sphdean@wustl.edu so we can keep track of what is a rapidly evolving landscape. Thank you much.
Public Health ideas
A video of my conversation with Samuel Kizito, MD, PhD, a research assistant professor at the Brown School, is here.
Also this week
If interested, in The Healthiest Goldfish, some thoughts on the public and private responsibility for health.
Here is to the week ahead.
Warmly,
Sandro
Margaret C. Ryan Dean of the School of Public Health
Eugene S. and Constance Kahn Distinguished Professor in Public Health
Vice Provost for Interdisciplinary Initiatives
Washington University in St Louis
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