After leading federal COVID-19 response, Dr. Ashish Jha to resume role as dean of Brown’s School of Public Health
Brown University
After spending 14 months on temporary leave to lead the U.S.
government’s COVID-19 pandemic response and recovery efforts, Dr. Ashish K. Jha
will return to lead the Brown University School of Public Health. 
An American hero. He saved thousands of lives by
calmly urging people to do the right thing to protect
themselves during the pandemic - W. Collette
Jha will resume his post as dean of SPH on July 1, as Interim Dean Ronald Aubert continues his leadership through the close of Brown’s academic and fiscal years before taking on the permanent role of senior associate dean of education at the school.
Jha will return to Brown having concluded
his term as White House COVID-19 response coordinator, a position to which U.S.
President Joseph R. Biden appointed
him in March 2022. The federal COVID-19 public health emergency
expired May 11. Biden commended Jha’s leadership in a Thursday, June 8, statement from the White House.
“As one of the leading public health
experts in America, he has effectively translated and communicated complex
scientific challenges into concrete actions that helped save and improve the
lives of millions of Americans,” Biden said. “I extend my deepest thanks to
Ashish and his family. We are a stronger and healthier nation because of his
contributions to public service.”
Brown Interim Provost Larry Larson praised Jha’s public service and also the strong leadership of SPH during his temporary leave.
“Ashish’s willingness to serve the nation in a moment of such tremendous challenge, and his commitment to focusing on science and solutions, sets an excellent example for every aspiring public health leader,” Larson said.
“We’re excited to welcome him back to Brown. At
the same time, we are deeply grateful to Ron Aubert for his outstanding
leadership in ensuring continued positive momentum at the School of Public
Health.”
In his first 18 months as dean, Jha
introduced a series of high-impact initiatives, championing an expansive
portfolio of research and education priorities, and recruiting world-class
faculty with expertise in global health, information disorders, health policy reform,
and pandemic preparedness and response.
Under Aubert’s leadership, the School of Public Health has continued to thrive. The Health Equity Scholars program, founded in 2021, has grown significantly, with master of public health degree scholarships now available for graduates of historically Black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions and Rhode Island residents.
The
school’s Pandemic Center, launched last September, is
connecting policymakers with data-driven recommendations to mitigate disruption
during global epidemic events.
Other research and education initiatives
led by SPH faculty are making a positive difference on public health challenges
ranging from Rhode Island’s overdose epidemic, to air and water pollution, to
Alzheimer’s and dementia.
“I’m grateful to the scholars, educators and students who have continued to advance Dean Jha’s vision and who make the School of Public Health a dynamic and impactful place to work and study,” Aubert said.
“Their collective research continues to improve lives in
Rhode Island and around the world. We are all very excited about the return of
Dean Jha and look forward to quickly translating his real-world, real-time
policy work into the educational experience of our students.”
Jha said his return offers an opportunity
to employ insights from the nation’s pandemic response as educators across the
school focus on training the next generation of public health leaders.
“We are in a world drastically altered by
the COVID-19 pandemic,” Jha said. “For all we have accomplished to reduce
illness and save lives, COVID-19 has exposed the weaknesses in our public
health and health care systems. I look forward to returning to Brown to
continue our groundbreaking work transforming public health education, research
and practice to convert these weaknesses to strengths.”
