Fall 2018 Dean’s Message
As I complete my first year as the Dean of the School of Public Health, I reflect back on all the wonderful opportunities I have had to meet alumni, donors, students and friends. Everyone has been so welcoming and helpful and I learned a lot about what makes this school so unique. I look forward to the coming year as the school begins to announce its plans to celebrate our 50th anniversary in 2020. Please watch for invitations and communications about how you can participate in the year-long celebration!
The fall is always a busy time at the UIC School of Public Health, with new students and faculty joining our community and new courses and certificates being offered. Take, for example, the school’s new course on the Epidemics of Injustice and the new Master of Sciences degree in Health Analytics (page 10). We also recently announced our new Mining Education and Research Center.
Also in this issue of Healthviews, and highlighted on the cover, you’ll read about the work we are doing to combat the opioid crisis. Our Community Outreach and Intervention Projects (COIP) has always been a leader in the field of treating drug abuse as a public health issue, but Professor Basmattee Boodram’s work to identify effective interventions is truly groundbreaking.
The National Scope/Global Impact section of the magazine is one of my favorites because I am able to get a glimpse of what our students and faculty are doing around the world. Read about the work that three of our faculty members are doing in Kenya. I was thrilled to be able to travel there this past summer to see their research projects in action.
The Advancing Health section showcases the variety of reasons why someone chooses to financially support the UIC School of Public Health. You’ll read about how we honored the Passaro Family at our annual Founders Circle and Legacy Society reception for the continued generosity to our Global Health Program.
Lastly, I hope you’ll take a moment to check out the last pages of the magazine to see the many ways our alumni and friends were engaged with the school over the past year. I hope to see you at one of the many events we have planned during the coming year.
Wayne Giles, MD, MS
Dean