Dean of the School of Public Health and Health Professions
Position Profile
This position profile is intended to provide information about the University at Buffalo (UB) and the position of Dean of the School of Public Health and Health and Health Professions. It is designed to assist qualified individuals in assessing their interest.
Position Overview
The University at Buffalo (UB), State University of New York (SUNY), invites applications and nominations for the position of Dean of the School of Public Health and Health Professions. The University at Buffalo is a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU) and is one of the nation’s premier centers for academic excellence. UB is the most comprehensive, research-intensive university within the 64 campus SUNY system, and is its primary center for professional education and training. UB currently enrolls over 27,000 students and offers over 300 degree programs at the baccalaureate, master’s, doctoral, and professional levels.
The Dean of the School of Public Health and Health Professions (SPHHP) is a senior member of the university’s leadership team. The Dean will work collaboratively and in partnership with UB President John Simpson, Provost and Executive Vice President Satish Tripathi, Vice President for Health Sciences David Dunn, and other college and school deans to implement UB 2020, UB’s ambitious strategic plan to advance academic excellence in selected strategic strengths, in order to lead it into the ranks of the most renowned public research universities in the world.
The SPHHP was established in 2003 as part of a strategic plan to build on strengths in the former School of Health Related Professions which was established in 1965 and on the long history and proud accomplishments in the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine (epidemiology and biostatistics). These were combined into a new School of Public Health and Health Professions, in which a new Department of Health Behavior and a separate Department of Biostatistics were added. The SPHHP has 81 full- and part-time faculty and 35 professional staff. In addition, there are 75 employees supported by the University at Buffalo Foundations and the Research Foundation of SUNY. The undergraduate programs, with a current enrollment of 859 students, include Exercise Science, Exercise Science/Nutrition and a BS/MS program in Occupational Therapy. The total graduate student enrollment is 452, of whom 181 are doctoral students, including 128 students in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program. Other doctoral (PhD) programs include those in Biostatistics, Community Health, Epidemiology and Exercise Science. There are 41 students in the MPH programs and 230 students enrolled in other magisterial (MS) programs, including Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Occupational Therapy. The MPH degree concentrations include Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Environmental Health, Health Behavior, and Health Services Administration. Collaborative degrees offered include MD-MPH, JD-MPH and MBA-MPH. PharmD-MPH and MSW-MPH collaborative degrees are in the planning stage. A residency program in General Preventive Medicine and a Combined Internal Medicine-Preventive Medicine program are also offered. The School is one of two schools of public health in Upstate New York and the only one in Western New York. The SPHHP is an Associate Member of the Association of Schools of Public Health and is currently performing a self-study in preparation for its accreditation site visit by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) which is scheduled to occur in May, 2009. The combined annual budget (state funds) is $8.6 million and the School endowment is approximately $1,200,000.
The SPHHP has experienced continued growth in its research enterprise. SPHHP ranks second among the schools in the Academic Health Center (AHC) at UB and fourth among all Schools at the University at Buffalo in research expenditures (2006-2007). Research expenditures were $8,183,000 in 2006-2007. New faculty are being recruited in several departments, with the objective of continued growth in the number of tenure-track faculty and in the research enterprise. As of December, 2007, there were 29 active grants administered by the SPHHP faculty, of which five (5) were funded by the NIH. Faculty are involved in collaborative, trans-disciplinary research projects within SPHHP and with faculty in other Schools in the AHC (Dental Medicine, Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Nursing, and Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences) and in other schools in the University. There are also strong working relationships with faculty at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, a NCI designated comprehensive cancer center, and the Research Institute on Addictions which is part of the University at Buffalo. The trajectory of the research enterprise, coupled with a high level of collegiality, interdisciplinary collaboration and academic excitement generated by UB 2020, has the SPHHP well positioned to continue to attract and retain outstanding faculty and students, and to continue to produce cutting edge research and creative activities that will secure UB’s place among the very best research universities.
The principal challenges and opportunities currently facing the SPHHP are to continue to build excellence through the strategic growth of the school; to achieve full accreditation of SPHHP by CEPH; to recruit the chair and faculty to the new Department of Public Health Policy and Practice (awaiting permanent appointment of the Dean); to recruit highly productive faculty who can contribute to areas of strategic strength in research; to work aggressively to ensure the success of the outstanding junior faculty who have joined UB and the SPHHP in recent years; to continue to increase sponsored research funding; to increase philanthropic giving; to increase graduate student enrollment in doctoral programs and in public health and other professional programs in the health sciences in line with our expansion of faculty; and to further develop international programs in research and education. The Dean of the SPHHP will have the opportunity to guide and participate in the expansion of our School; plan for both renovated and new facilities for the School, and to continue to build upon UB’s outstanding international reputation and its success in attracting international students.
The Dean of the School of Public Health and Health Professions has primary responsibility to:
- Provide strategic vision to expand the school’s growth in faculty size, accomplishments, and research expenditures; to continuously improve the ranking of the school among state-sponsored schools of public health; and to continue increasing the selectivity of its undergraduate and graduate students.
- Work collaboratively with university leadership and faculty to implement the UB 2020 strategic strengths by providing the vision and resource management skills to support the ambitious faculty hiring plans and the multi-professional collaborations at the heart of the areas of strategic strength.
- Guide and support the further development of effective partnerships locally, regionally and internationally to facilitate the attainment of the School’s goals and objectives in carrying out its mission.
- Provide leadership and oversight for all academic programs in the SPHHP and ensure that the SPHHP effectively serves the research, teaching, and service missions of UB.
- Ensure sound financial, structural, and human resources management for the SPHHP.
- Provide an unwavering commitment to, and creative strategies for, improving the diversity of the faculty and student body.
- Serve as an effective and responsible advocate for the SPHHP to internal and external UB constituencies within the framework of overall university goals and priorities, and promote the accomplishments of faculty, students, and programs locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally.
- Work collaboratively with the Vice President for Health Sciences and the other Health Science deans to promote multi-professional research, education, and service across the UB AHC and regional health care community which includes eight University-affiliated hospitals and numerous providers of care in various health professions who support education and research activities.
- Work collaboratively and in consultation with university colleagues to enhance the School’s relationships with alumni and other external constituencies, and to increase its individual, corporate, philanthropic, and government support.
back to topCandidate Qualifications
The ideal candidate should have the following qualifications and personal characteristics:
Leadership: A passion for academic excellence, coupled with an established record of visionary, exceptional, and collaborative leadership in higher education in public health; the capacity to think strategically and to communicate persuasively the mission and goals of the SPHHP and UB; the ability to work effectively with the senior leadership of the university and with faculty in implementing an ambitious academic plan; the ability to motivate and inspire others to strive continuously for academic excellence and to contribute to the success of the strategic plan and the research, teaching, and service mission of the university; strong management skills, including stewardship of fiscal and human resources; the ability to coordinate effective relationships with external constituencies and partners. Successful experience as a department chair, research center or institute director, or dean or associate dean will be deemed a valuable asset to an individual’s candidacy.
Academic and Professional Qualifications: Significant academic credentials including an earned doctorate in public health or a related discipline, medicine, or other health profession with extensive public health experience; a distinguished national or international reputation for sustained scholarly or creative accomplishments, and a record reflecting excellence in teaching and service appropriate to appointment at the rank of Professor in a major research university. These qualifications also include an inherent understanding of the university’s academic and research mission as a public AAU research institution.
Commitment to Diversity: A commitment to the importance of diversity among faculty, staff, and students in terms of gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, religion, and intellectual perspective is imperative. Candidates demonstrating the ability to offer concrete ideas and strategies for continuously improving the diversity of the faculty and student body, and a record of creating, fostering, or implementing successful programs to increase diversity will be especially welcome.
Relations with University Community: A demonstrated ability to relate effectively with members of the University community as well as be an outstanding university citizen; the ability to engage faculty, staff, and students in the mission and vision of the university, as well as to recruit faculty and administrative colleagues who have a high potential for success; and a demonstrated ability to be a strong advocate for the SPHHP both within and outside the academic environment.
Focus on Faculty: A demonstrated strong commitment to academic excellence and a commitment to ensuring that this excellence is promoted and sustained through the faculty recruitment, tenure and promotion process; a commitment to, and appreciation of trans-disciplinary and trans-professional scholarship; a demonstrated expertise and commitment to faculty mentoring and development across all the ranks and at all career stages; an understanding of the challenges of recruiting and retaining dual career couples, as well as the challenges of balancing the research, teaching and service demands of a tenure track academic career with family responsibilities; and creative ideas to address these challenges.
Focus on Students: A respect for students and a commitment to providing them with a high quality educational experience; an understanding of the integral relationship between undergraduate and graduate education; a commitment to enriching the research opportunities available to graduate students within a research university; a commitment to expanding educational experiences available to MPH students; an appreciation of the need to ensure that graduate student stipends remain competitive with peer AAU research universities; a recognition of the importance of employing proactive and effective marketing and recruitment strategies in order to attract a high caliber of students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels; and a commitment to the further development of career counseling and career planning activities.
Relations with External Community: Recognition of the needs and opportunities to further develop community-campus partnerships in service, education and research; skills that show high potential to be an effective fundraiser and to expand current fundraising activities; the ability to maintain strong working relationships with UB’s academic research partners and funding agencies and to sustain and enhance the school’s relationship with alumni and major regional foundations.
Communication Skills: Strong interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills that are effective in articulating the school’s and university’s values, vision, and goals to a wide range of constituencies.
Personal Qualities: The highest standards of personal and academic integrity and ethical and professional conduct; a high energy level and genuine enthusiasm for and commitment to public higher education and diversity; an ability to foster a collegial and respectful work and educational environment; ease in relating to faculty, students, and staff and in working with a diverse range of public constituent groups and organizations; comfort in maintaining a high visibility public persona that will always positively represent the university.
back to topThe School of Public Health and Health Professions
The School of Public Health and Health Professions is a vital and central part of the success of UB’s ambitious strategic academic plan known as UB 2020, in which we are connected to two of the eight UB 2020 strategic strengths: Health and Wellness Across the Lifespan and Public Policy and Civic Engagement. (See www.buffalo.edu/UB 2020.) Thus, the strategic vision, hiring and resource management plans of the college are inextricably connected to UB 2020 strategic strengths.
The Faculty and Research
The UB School of Public Health and Health Professions benefits strategically in having a diversity of disciplines represented in its departments, including those in exercise and nutrition sciences, the rehabilitation disciplines of occupational and physical therapy, health behavior, environmental health, epidemiology, biostatistics and health services administration. Their expertise and research endeavors combine to position the SPHHP on the leading edge of efforts to address the concerns that are at the forefront of issues in public health, including disease prevention; more effective and cost-effective management of chronic disease; aging; obesity; understanding health behavior and promoting lifestyle change. The addition of a Chair and faculty to populate a Department of Public Health Policy and Practice, to be recruited under the new Dean, are expected to complement existing efforts and add immeasurably to the profile of the school.
Biostatistics faculty are involved in theoretical, methodological and applied statistical research, in part involving collaborations with researchers at Roswell Park Cancer Institute and the New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences. Major research foci include molecular recognition in biological systems and involvement in research in mitigation and response to extreme events. They are also involved in studies of cancer and other chronic diseases, including obesity, and in population and women’s health studies.
The faculty in Exercise and Nutrition Sciences are involved in both basic and clinical research. Funded research projects include molecular mechanisms of intestinal transport; the role of flavenoids in multiple drug resistance; the effect of dietary interventions in management of intestinal inflammation; vitamin C in poly-microbial sepsis; and the response to vitamins and minerals during cancer therapy. Other projects are investigating the effects of diet and exercise on obesity-related dysfunctions; responses to anaerobic interval training; and outcomes in the management of osteoarthritis of the knee.
Faculty in the Department of Health Behavior are distinguished contributors to knowledge on smoking-related behaviors and interventions. More broadly, their scope of interest is in the promotion and maintenance of health and the prevention and treatment of illness by influencing health behavior. In those efforts, they have fostered partnerships with the Research Institute on Addictions at UB and with Roswell Park Cancer Institute.
In the Department of Rehabilitation Science, major research foci include aging, assistive technology, rehabilitation, and balance function. Aging-related research is conducted across the lifespan and includes evaluation of self management of chronic conditions, trans-cultural practices and the development of occupational skills in children. Numerous studies evaluate the impact of assistive technology devices for people of all ages and the universal design of consumer products for use at all levels of ability. Rehabilitation studies deal with a broad range of physiological and functional limitations. SPHHP is home for the Center for International Rehabilitation Research Information and Exchange (CIRRIE), a funded center which facilitates the international exchange of expertise and information in the broad area of rehabilitation, with particular attention to cultural differences in the application of and response to rehabilitation interventions. A state of the art balance research laboratory is evaluating various aspects of balance and posture in normal and healthy states and is part of a developing clinical falls research center at UB.
Faculty members in Social and Preventive Medicine are nationally and internationally recognized for work in evaluating the role of diet, alcohol, genetics and other risk factors for cancer and cardiovascular disease. Pathways important in inflammation and the development of diabetes are also being evaluated. Faculty have been vanguard participants in the Women’s Health Initiative and are active in other women’s health studies. Several current studies involve improving the health and wellness of workers in Western New York, the evaluation of intensive medical treatments for severe obesity, and breast cancer prevention among high risk post-menopausal women. Existing data sets and a biologic specimen repository serve as a rich resource for research investigation and collaboration.
Members of the SPHHP faculty are among those who have achieved national and international recognition for their work. Faculty published 145 papers in 2006, an average of 2-3 papers per faculty FTE. As importantly, they bring their research experience and expertise to classroom discussions, clinical teaching and mentoring relationships with students. Our substantial achievements in faculty excellence, research, student funding and student growth puts us on a positive trajectory to compete with peer universities. This positive trajectory puts us well on the way towards ensuring excellence by building on UB’s strategic strengths and taking our place among the very best universities in the country.
The faculty of the SPHHP have increased research expenditures by 3% since the establishment of the school in 2003. Grants awarded in recent years have been from the National Cancer Institute, NHLBI, NICHD, NIDCR, NIDRR and the U.S. Department of Education.
Many of the faculty are known for their outstanding teaching and research. They are also recipients of SUNY Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence, UB Sustained Scholar Awards, and many national and international awards recognizing exceptional contributions. They occupy leadership roles in numerous professional organizations nationally, regionally and in Western New York and provide editorial services to leading journals in their fields.
The Students
Graduates of the professional degree programs at the University at Buffalo are prepared for beginning and advanced practice grounded in knowledge in their respective disciplines that focuses on multi-professional collaboration, critical thinking, and innovation. The curriculum ensures appropriate interaction with faculty in traditional lectures, laboratories, conferences, clinical instruction and/or supervised field experiences. Students in the professions of occupational therapy and physical therapy benefit from assignments to sites that are among a vast array of clinical sites locally and throughout the country. MPH students can select field experiences from among large number of affiliated training sites in state and local public health agencies, hospitals, managed care organizations and health agencies. In an effort funded by the Josiah Macy Foundation, the SPHHP is completing a core curriculum in public health that will be required of students in all disciplines and is designed to provide them with a basic framework of knowledge in the principles and practice of public health.
Programs
In the undergraduate and graduate programs (www.SPHHP.buffalo.edu), students develop their ability to make decisions, practice creatively and imaginatively, and cope with change in a climate of scholarship, discovery and professional example.
The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) programs are designed to prepare students for positions in academia, educating and training scientists who will become leaders and contribute to the development of knowledge, theory generation, and hypothesis testing. Students are educated to communicate and function across disciplines to advance teaching and research.
Overview
UB2020: Our Vision for the Future:
The University at Buffalo has been educating leaders across three centuries. But today, our clear focus is on the future. Across the university, we have embarked on an ambitious transformation that seeks to make UB one of the very top public research universities in the nation. Our university community is actively engaged in rethinking what it means to be a model public research university for the twenty-first century. This process, known as UB2020, seeks to make UB one of the most distinctive and distinguished such schools in the nation – to become, in essence, the public university for a borderless world.
UB2020 is our vision for achieving sustained academic excellence, and our roadmap for getting there. This far-reaching commitment to excellence is the foundation for the many diverse intellectual, cultural, and societal contributions that the University at Buffalo makes every day to its students and faculty, to its staff, to its alumni, volunteers, donors, friends and corporate and academic partners in Western New York, throughout the state and nation, and around the world.
UB is firmly committed to engaged public service and civic engagement both regionally and globally—a commitment that we see as central to our mission as a public research university. Locally, UB is actively engaged in speeding the transition into a knowledge-based economy for Western New York, through a plan centered on strategically aligning and maximizing the university’s intellectual capital, economic fuel, and critical resources with the community. And from the very beginning of our 160-year history, we have been an international community of scholars, serving a truly global community. With more than 4,000 students representing 100 nations around the world, UB now ranks #10 among 2,700 accredited U.S. universities and colleges in terms of international enrollment.
Over the next decade-and-a-half, UB will significantly increase the number of faculty and students on campus, including plans for an increase of approximately 750 full-time faculty and a student body increase from 27,000 to 37,000. Overall, these plans represent an approximately 40% increase in the size of our campus community over the next 15 years. To plan for this growth, and to further advance the broader goals of UB2020, UB has launched an extensive campus planning process, a comprehensive framework that will guide our physical development in support of our plans for institutional growth. A key objective of this master planning process is developing a campus infrastructure appropriate to establishing the university as the locus for groundbreaking research and discovery, as well as grounding it within the framework of its surrounding neighborhoods. The physical campus planning we are undertaking now is laying the foundation for the truly great university we are becoming.
UB Today
The University at Buffalo is the State University of New York’s most comprehensive research-intensive university and its primary center for professional education and training. It is a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU). UB is located in the Buffalo-Niagara region of the state, which is New York’s largest upstate metropolitan area. The University at Buffalo currently enrolls over 27,000 students and offers over 300 degree programs (baccalaureate, master’s, doctoral, and first professional). Home to over 130 research centers and institutes, UB’s research expenditures for FY 2005-2006 totaled almost $300 million. With an annual budget of over $1 billion from a variety of sources, UB has a total workforce of over 6,400 full-time employees, including approximately 1,600 full-time faculty. The University Libraries hold 3.6 million volumes in nine general and specialized units; their exceptionally wide array of electronic/digital information resources has been recognized nationally.
UB’s total economic impact on the state and region is estimated at more than $1.3 billion annually. The university is one of Western New York’s largest employers. Its strong regional presence extends through multiple satellite sites in Buffalo and locations across the region. UB also enjoys a strong international presence, maintaining affiliation agreements with over 60 universities in Asia, Europe, Latin America, and Africa. International students currently comprise over 13% of UB’s total student enrollment.
Academic programs are offered by a comprehensive Academic Health Center, including Schools of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Dental Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Public Health and Health Professions; the College of Arts and Sciences; and Schools of Architecture and Planning, Education, Engineering and Applied Sciences, Law, Management, Social Work. These academic units are located on the South and North Campuses of UB.
The School of Public Health and Health Professions is one of five schools in the UB Academic Health Center located at the South Campus. This campus is composed of 154 acres with 53 buildings and is located three miles south of the North Campus. Today, this campus is the home to UB Schools of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Dental Medicine, Public Health and Health Profession, and Nursing. The School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences will be relocating to this campus by 2010-2011. The campus is also home to the UB Health Sciences Library, the School of Architecture and Planning, and six residence halls housing 1,350 students. The UB Anderson Art Gallery is located near the South Campus.
UB’s North Campus, located in the Buffalo suburb of Amherst, is home to UB’s core academic programs and is the university’s main undergraduate campus. Opened in 1973, the North Campus comprises almost 1,200 acres and 146 buildings, including a multi-venue Center for the Arts, a substantial athletics and recreation complex, 10 residence halls and five apartment-style student housing villages built since 1998. The North Campus houses over 6,000 students.
In addition to its two main campuses, UB has a rapidly developing third campus center in downtown Buffalo, anchored by the new Biomedical Campus that includes the New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences, the Roswell Park Cancer Institute, the Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute, and New York State Center on Addictions. The UB Jacobs Executive Development Center and the Educational Opportunity Center are also located in the downtown area. UB also collaborates with regional institutions such as the Albright-Knox Art Gallery to provide innovative initiatives, events, and educational programs taught by faculty who are actively engaged in advancing knowledge in their respective disciplines and professions.
UB fields the only full Division I-A athletics program in the State University of New York (SUNY) system. The NCAA officially upgraded UB’s intercollegiate athletics programs to Division I in 1993; today, UB competes in the Mid-American Conference in 19 of its 20 sports. Among its many athletic facilities, UB’s newly-refurbished 31,000-seat stadium on its North Campus, where it hosts football, soccer, and track and field events, provides an important connecting point for the university, its alumni, and the community.
President - John B. Simpson, Ph.D.
John Barclay Simpson was appointed the 14th President of the University at Buffalo on January 1, 2004, bringing with him more than 30 years of experience in higher education. An accomplished research scientist specializing in neuroendocrinology, physiology, and behavior, he is appointed to the faculty of UB’s Department of Physiology and Biophysics.
As both a product and a lifelong proponent of public higher education, President Simpson believes strongly in its diverse and profound impact upon human endeavor, and is deeply committed to the vital societal role of leading public universities such as UB in providing widespread access to the benefits and opportunities of higher education. Chief among his priorities as UB president has been the institution of a clear and strong plan for the university’s advancement as a model public research university for the 21st century. Since taking office, he has led the academic community in implementing an ongoing, comprehensive and university-wide process of self-assessment and strategic thinking for the future, setting in motion a long-term master strategy for the university’s growth and development over the long term.
Prior to his appointment as UB President, he held the post of Campus Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor of the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he served from 1998-2003. Dr. Simpson’s previous appointments include 23 years at the University of Washington, where he joined the Department of Psychology faculty in 1975, later serving as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences from 1994-98.
A native of California, Dr. Simpson received his bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Santa Barbara and earned his doctorate from Northwestern University in neurobiology and behavior. Dr. Simpson is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Society for Neuroscience, and the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior. Among his many other leadership and volunteer roles, he is also a member of the Council on Competitiveness and a former Commissioner of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. In testament to UB’s longstanding leadership in international education, he recently received an honorary degree from Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology.
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs - Satish K.Tripathi, Ph.D.
Dr. Tripathi was appointed Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs on July 1, 2004. Dr. Tripathi came to the University at Buffalo from University of California Riverside where he served as Dean of the Bourns College of Engineering and the William R. Johnson, Jr. Family Distinguished Professor of Engineering at University of California Riverside since 1997. He also served as acting executive vice chancellor from March 2002 through June 2002. Prior to joining University of California Riverside, he was a professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Maryland, where his 19 years as a faculty member in the department included being chair from 1988-1995.
Dr. Tripathi is an internationally accomplished computer scientist who has been involved in substantial funded research. He has published more than 200 scholarly papers, supervised 25 doctoral students and served on program committees of numerous international conferences. He has been the guest editor or guest co-editor of several scientific journals and is a founding member of the editorial board of IEEE Pervasive Computing. A member of the editorial board of International Journal of High-Speed Networks, he previously was on the editorial boards of Theoretical Computer Science, IEEE Transactions on Computers, ACM Multimedia Systems, and ACM/IEEE Transactions on Networking.
Provost Tripathi is a fellow of the IEEE Computer and Communications Societies and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In 2006, Dr. Tripathi was awarded the Honorary Doctorate of Sciences from the prestigious Indian Institute of Information Technology, the university’s highest degree. He was a visiting professor at the University of Paris-Sud in France and the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany while at the University of Maryland. A native of India, Dr. Tripathi graduated top of his class from Banaras Hindu University in India in 1968. In addition to a doctorate in computer science that he earned from the University of Toronto in 1979, he holds three master's degrees—one in computer science from the University of Toronto (1976) and two in statistics from the University of Alberta (1974) and Banaras Hindu University (1970).
History and Culture
Founded in 1846 as a private medical college located in central Buffalo, UB was first known as the University of Buffalo. The 13th president of the United States, Millard Fillmore, served as a founder and as UB’s first Chancellor (1846-1874). UB grew steadily in the 19th century, expanding with Schools of Pharmacy (1886), Law (1887), and Dental Medicine (1892). This grounding in professional training shaped UB’s early identity as an educational institution, as well as its place within the local and state communities.
UB’s first liberal-arts curriculum was developed after the turn of the century when the American Medical Association began to require at least one preliminary year of liberal-arts work as part of physician education. Such courses were instituted in 1913 and awarded departmental status in 1915, giving shape to UB as a university in the traditional sense of the term. The College of Arts and Sciences was authorized by the State Department of Education in 1919; 1920 saw the university’s first fund-raising initiative, as it became clear UB would no longer be able to sustain itself entirely by student fees and occasional donations. This fund made it possible to develop the Main Street campus, now known as the South Campus. In 1922, graduate work in the arts and sciences curriculum was introduced, and the School of Business Administration (now the School of Management) was established in 1923. The Graduate School offered its first programs as an individual division in 1939; the 1930s and '40s saw the introduction of several other divisions at UB, such as the Schools of Education, Social Work, Nursing, and Engineering. In the 1950s, the university consolidated all facilities — with the exception of the Law School, which operated in a mix of buildings in downtown Buffalo — at the South Campus.
In 1962, UB joined the SUNY system, becoming the State University of New York at Buffalo, one of four university centers in the system and its largest and most comprehensive campus. Space to accommodate the quickly-growing campus was an immediate concern. Today, the North Campus in Amherst is a thriving academic community with a modern aesthetic that contrasts with the historically distinguished architecture of the South Campus.
Values and Commitments
The three traditional missions of the public university — research, teaching, and public service — are not separate or discrete actions, but interdependent activities that inform and enhance each other within our overall university mission. UB’s first priority is the pursuit and practice of academic excellence for its faculty and its students, in teaching and in research. Academic excellence is our fundamental value and goal and will be pursued with vigor. It is the very core of our enterprise and is the basis for our broader mission as a public research university. Inherent in the pursuit and practice of academic excellence:
we will establish the appropriate institutional conditions that allow academic excellence to flourish.
we will strive to foster a worldview that is broad and complex in scope, enlightened rather than narrow, and open to possibility, not constrained by bias.
we will be continually engaged with our communities — regional, statewide, national, and global — in new ways that serve to define the university’s intellectual, cultural, and economic impact in the 21st century.
we will play a vital role in the strategic development of effective linkages between primary, secondary, and tertiary education in New York State.
we will hold ourselves to the highest standards of civility, professionalism, and collegiality.
we will recognize, honor, and encourage diversity. We will protect and preserve equity throughout our university community.
we will strive to realize institutional accessibility, comprised of all elements of a student’s ability to engage productively in the university experience.
we uphold the right of every human being to access knowledge, to exercise freedom of thought and of speech, to think and learn critically, to participate in new intellectual discovery, to advance the development of the self, and to contribute one’s own perspectives, thoughts, and talents to the benefit of the common good.
Academic Units
Academic Health Center – Vice President for Health Sciences – David L. Dunn, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Dunn was appointed Vice President for Health Sciences on September 1, 2005 and also holds appointments as Professor of Surgery and Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at UB. He recently chaired the Western New York Regional Advisory Committee of the New York State Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century and remains active in health care policy and reform within the region and state.
Prior to coming to UB, Dr. Dunn was the Jay Phillips Professor and Chairman of Surgery at the University of Minnesota. He has published over 400 articles and book chapters in the areas of Surgical Infectious Diseases and Transplantation and is considered a worldwide authority in these areas. Dr. Dunn remains active in a number of academic societies. He also is an Associate Editor of the 8th edition of Schwartz’s Principles of Surgery and its companion texts.
Dr. Dunn was born and raised in Michigan and received his Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Medicine degrees from the University of Michigan. He received a doctorate in microbiology from the University of Minnesota, concurrent with his training in general surgery and transplantation.
Dr. Dunn is responsible for leading the strategic integration of teaching, research, service, and clinical activities of UB’s five health sciences schools within the UB Academic Health Center. The UB Academic Health Center includes the following professional schools in addition to the School of Public Health and Health Professions:
- School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences: The School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, the founding faculty of the university, is 157 years old. Rooted in the importance of the basic biological scientific underpinning of medical knowledge, the school is committed to contributing continuously to that body of knowledge and to providing the best training possible for the physicians and medical scientists of the future. The school enrolls 135 students per year and up to six MD/PhD students.
The School of Medicine and Biomedical Science’s has broad research interests that include ion channel physiology and biophysics, retinal and cardiac electrophysiology, neurodegenerative and cardiovascular disorders, cellular and molecular signaling, computational biophysics, and exercise physiology. The school’s Center for Single Molecule Biophysics, and the Witebsky Center for Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology enjoy national reputations.
The school offers 63 post-graduate medical educational training programs with rotations in nine major hospitals and community-based locations. During the 2005 fiscal year, the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences’ research expenditures totaled $42,907,322.
- School of Dental Medicine: Now in its 114th year, the School of Dental Medicine educates general practitioners (approximately 340 DDS students and 20 general dentistry and general practice residents); dental specialists (advanced education programs in, endodontics, pediatric dentistry, periodontics, prosthodontics, oral and maxillofacial surgery, oral and maxillofacial pathology, and orthodontics - approximately 80 students) to deliver high quality, state-of-the-art oral health care thereby addressing the nationwide shortage of dentists and dental specialists. The School is widely recognized for excellence and innovation in dental education, most recently, for its Electronic Curriculum Project. The School is a leader in innovative research and scholarship contributing to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of oral disease. The School trains biomedical scientists and dental educators through its Dental Student Summer Research Program, Minors in Oral Biology, M.S programs. (Oral Sciences, Orthodontics, and Biomaterials), the nation's oldest Ph.D program in Oral Biology, and combined research / clinical training programs. Graduates of these programs are in national leadership positions including the current director of the National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research. The School consistently ranks among the top U.S dental schools in funding from the National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research. The school provides substantial service to the community through our direct patient care services. Last year, 48,000+ patient visits were provided to both adults and children in our Squire/Foster Hall clinics; 71,500 patient visits were provided to clients in our extramural programs in our hospital affiliated clinics and mobile dental van. The value of the uncompensated/subsidized care provided by our faculty and students totaled $6.1 million in 2006. In Western New York, we are the largest provider of dental services through the Medicaid program.
- School of Nursing (SON) is consistently ranked among the top nursing programs in the country. U.S. News & World Report recently ranked the School of Nursing in the top third of graduate nursing schools, which was also above every other public nursing school in New York. The SON prepares students at all levels and currently grants BS, MS, and PhD degrees in nursing. Faculty members are expert practitioners of nursing with advanced preparation in their specialties. There are 20 full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty, 17 full time clinical track faculty, and 15 part time clinical faculty. Many have achieved national and international recognition and this scholarly work is reflected in research and numerous clinical publications. The faculty of the SON have more than quadrupled their research support since 2001-2002, with funding awards of almost $4 million in 2006. Grants awarded in recent years have been from the National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Nursing Research, American Academy of Nursing, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Hartford Foundation, National Institute of Justice, and US Health Resources and Services Administration. The SON has attracted outstanding new faculty, while existing faculty have garnered impressive recognition for their scholarly achievements. They published 63 papers in 2005-2006, two thirds of which were in refereed journals. The school is well positioned economically to continue faculty growth, with a hiring plan that continues to build their research enterprise and accommodate increased enrollment
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences: Ranked among the top pharmacy schools in the United States and considered one of the most prestigious, the school was founded in 1886 and is the second-oldest component of the university and the only school of pharmacy in SUNY.
The School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences is organized into two departments, Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacy Practice. The school enrolls over 500 students in five degree programs (BS, BS/MS, MS, PhD Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Doctor of Pharmacy). Over 93 percent of the school’s students are enrolled in graduate and graduate professional programs. The school is also engaged in postdoctoral education in the pharmaceutical sciences and in clinical pharmacy post-PharmD residency and fellowship programs.
The School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science’s research emphasis is, among others, in clinical & translational science, clinical pharmacology, and the biological applications of pharmaceutical sciences, particularly in cutting edge areas of systems pharmacology (pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and pharmacogenomics) and in the development of new therapeutic approaches utilizing mechanistic studies with tools of genomics, proteomics, and bioinformatics. In fiscal year 2006, the school’s research expenditures totaled $5,965,686.
The School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences sponsors six fellowship programs and has a total of 10 residency programs. The school has clinical pharmacy collaborations providing therapeutic drug management programs across western New York. The school engages in collaborative research efforts with the University of Rochester’s Clinical Pharmacology Department, the Veterans Administration Hospital’s Clinical Research Center, Women’s and Children’s Hospital’s Pediatric Clinical Research Center, and the Roswell Park Cancer Institute’s Transitional Oncology Pharmacology Program.
Additional Academic Units
Besides the schools in the Academic Health Center, academic programs are offered by the College of Arts and Sciences, Graduate School of Education, and Schools of Architecture and Planning, Engineering and Applied Sciences, Law, Management, and Social Work.
- College of Arts and Sciences: With 34 departments and many specialized research centers, the College of Arts and Sciences is the largest and most comprehensive of the university’s units. The college has a distinguished, award-winning faculty dedicated to instruction and research in the core disciplines of the humanities, arts, and sciences. The college enrolls over 13,000 students.
- Graduate School of Education: The Graduate School of Education comprises three main programs: counseling, school, and educational psychology; educational leadership and policy; and learning and instruction. Doctoral, master’s and advanced certificate programs are offered. Established in 1931, the school currently produces close to 20% of all master’s degrees at UB and maintains close functional ties with area school districts.
- School of Architecture and Planning: Established in 1968, UB’s professional architecture school is unique in the SUNY system. The school offers the only accredited professional degree in architecture within SUNY and is one of two within SUNY to offer an accredited certificate in urban planning.
- School of Engineering and Applied Sciences: The School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS)—ranked in the top 15 percent of the nation’s engineering schools—is the largest and most comprehensive public school of engineering in New York State. Founded in 1946, SEAS is comprised of six departments including chemical and biological engineering and is well known for fostering partnerships and interdisciplinary research.
- Law School: Since its founding in 1887, UB’s Law School—the only law school in SUNY—has established an excellent reputation and is widely regarded as a leader in legal education. The school focuses not only on the letter of the law but also on the historical, social, economic, and political contexts of the law to give students a competitive edge.
- School of Management: Established in 1927, the School of Management, with its impressive academic portfolio, comprehensive range, and successful graduates, was recently ranked again by The Wall Street Journal as among the world’s top business schools. The academic mission of the school spans the globe, with international programs and students who hail from all over the world.
- School of Social Work: Established in 1936, the School of Social Work defines its mission as threefold: preparing graduates for successful social work practice, contributing research and scholarship to further the profession, and providing leadership for community service.
In addition to the above, UB’s many centers of research have served as the foundation for growth in programs and resources, such as the Center for Computational Research and, most recently, the New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences. Designated in 2001 as one of five Centers of Excellence around New York State by Governor George E. Pataki, the Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences focuses on the integration of computational biology and high throughput discovery-based medicine. It is unique among major universities in the scope and breadth of areas addressed. The 400,000 square foot Life Sciences Complex is located on the Biomedical Campus, adjacent to the Roswell Park Cancer Institute and Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute in downtown Buffalo. To date, more than $200 million in funding has been committed to the Center.
Resources and Operations
Home to over 150 research centers and institutes, UB’s research expenditures for FY 2006-07 totaled almost $323.4M. With an annual budget of over $1B from a variety of sources, UB has a total workforce of over 6,100 full-time employees, including approximately 1,600 full-time faculty.
UB relies on a diversified revenue stream to shield its operating budget from fluctuations in state appropriations. Over the last five years, revenue from grants and contracts and auxiliary enterprises has grown by more than 40% and now represents over 25% of total revenue.
Revenues –– Fiscal Year 2006-2007 (in thousands)
| Tuition and fees |
$144,705 |
(10.82%) |
| State Appropriations |
$492,912 |
(36.86%) |
| Grants and Contracts |
$261,670 |
(19.57%) |
| Private Support and Other |
$68,103 |
(5.09%) |
| Endowment and Investment Income |
$111,039 |
(8.30%) |
| Auxiliary Enterprises |
$83,518 |
(6.25%) |
| Hospitals and Clinical Revenue |
$170,845 |
(12.78%) |
| Capital Appropriations, Gifts |
$4,417 |
(0.33%) |
| Total |
$1,337,209 |
(100%) |
Expenditures and Transfers –– Fiscal Year 2006-2007 (in thousands)
| Instruction |
$347,974 |
(29.22%) |
| Research |
$198,355 |
(16.66%) |
| Public Service |
$8,132 |
(0.68%) |
| Academic Support |
$29,417 |
(2.47%) |
| Student Services |
$30,285 |
(2.54%) |
| Institutional Support |
$140,194 |
(11.77%) |
| Operation and Maintenance of Plant |
$66,476 |
(5.58%) |
| Depreciation |
$57,652 |
(4.84%) |
| Scholarships and Fellowships |
$10,603 |
(0.89%) |
| Hospitals and Clinics |
$171,397 |
(14.39%) |
| Auxiliary Enterprises |
$82,111 |
(6.90%) |
| Interest Expense |
$42,536 |
(3.57%) |
| Transfers and Other |
$5,605 |
(0.47%) |
| Total |
$1,190,737 |
(100%) |
UB is committed to developing mechanisms to enable it to continue to grow non-state revenue. Construction and facility renewal on both campuses are pressing needs. With legislated added projects, the state plans to allocate $70.5 million annually over the next four years for these purposes, but additional sources of revenue are critical.
Most of the UB faculty and many of its professional staff are part of the collective bargaining unit, the United University Professions (UUP), a member of the American Federation of Teachers.
back to topThe Buffalo-Niagara Community
Buffalo, called “The City of Good Neighbors,” is the second-largest city in New York State. Fortune magazine ranked the Western New York region in the top 20% of 60 areas in the nation for the quality of its public education. City Honors High School, of the Buffalo Public Schools system, has been ranked in the nation’s top ten public high schools by Newsweek magazine for two consecutive years. Erie County’s public and private secondary schools consistently soar above state and national standardized test averages. Since 1996, Buffalo has been recognized by the National Civic League as an “All-America City,” a designation that honors exemplary civic spirit in a select number of U.S. communities. In 2006, Buffalo was ranked first in the nation amongst mid-sized cities as an arts city by American Style Magazine. For more than a decade, the Town of Amherst, in which the North Campus is located, has consistently been ranked among the top three “safest cities in America,” inclusive of all population-size categories. A 2006 analysis from the National Association of Realtors found that Buffalo-area housing costs are considerably lower than the U.S. average and suggested a good possibility of better-than-average appreciation in the coming years, making Buffalo living as affordable as it is appealing. The National Association of Home Builders’ 2006 Housing Opportunity Index ranks the Buffalo area as the most affordable housing market in the Northeast. Commute times in Buffalo consistently rank among the nation’s shortest, with and abundance of cultural and recreational activities nearby, contributing to another of Buffalo’s nicknames, the “twenty-minute city.”
The Buffalo-Niagara region lies directly in the middle of the Northeastern Trade Corridor running from Chicago to Boston. Buffalo is one anchor of the “Greater Golden Horseshoe” that extends from Western New York to Toronto, less than two hours away. With close to ten million residents, this bi-national region provides a wealth of cross-border business, academic, cultural and recreational opportunities.
Buffalo has the cultural resources of a much larger city. It is home to the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, housing one of the world’s finest collections of modern painting and sculpture. UB recently acquired the Anderson Gallery, which ARTnews hailed as “a shrine to a world-class collection of contemporary art.” The renowned Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, led by the internationally influential conductor, JoAnne Falletta, performs in Kleinhans Music Hall. Designed by the famed Finnish father-and-son team, Eliel and Eero Saarinen, Kleinhans itself is widely admired both for its acoustic qualities and for its architectural beauty. Buffalo also boasts several landmark homes designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, most notably the Darwin Martin House and Graycliff, as well as an expansive park system created by Frederick Law Olmsted. UB’s own Slee Hall is also a rich cultural resource for the Western New York community, offering over 200 concerts each year, as is UB’s Center for the Arts, one of the region’s major performing arts venues.
Buffalo is well known for its NFL team (four-time AFL champions, the Buffalo Bills) and its NHL team, (the Buffalo Sabres, 2006 and 2007 Stanley Cup Eastern Conference runners-up). Area sports fans are also treated to a championship Triple-A baseball team (the Bisons), professional indoor lacrosse (the Bandits), and a new ABA professional basketball team (the Silverbacks).
Situated on the banks of Lake Erie and within a half-hour’s drive of Lake Ontario, Buffalo is a true “waterfront city.” Lake Erie is responsible for far more than producing lake-effect snow; it is also a major site of water recreation in the spring and summer and one of the area’s chief natural beauties year-round. With a pleasant, temperate climate and the “highest percentage of summer sunshine of any region in New York State,” Buffalo’s spring and summer months richly deserve the widespread notoriety its winters have attracted.
For additional information about the University at Buffalo and the community, see http://www.buffalo.edu and http://www.buffaloniagara.org
back to topApplication/Nomination Procedures
The University at Buffalo, the State University of New York, invites inquiries, nominations, and applications for the position of Dean of the School of Public Health and Health Professions. Interested qualified individuals should provide an electronic version of their curriculum vitae and an optional letter describing their interest in and qualifications for the position. All nominations and applications should be sent electronically via e-mail (Microsoft Word or PDF attachments strongly preferred) to:
Dr. Ilene H. Nagel
Mr. Brian Bloomfield
Consultants to the Search Committee
Russell Reynolds Associates
ubsphhp-dean@russellreynolds.com
The appointment date is open. To ensure full consideration, materials should be received as soon as possible. Review of nominations and applications for the position will commence immediately and continue until the position is filled. All submitted materials should be received as soon as possible. This search will be conducted with full confidentiality of all candidate information. References will not be contacted without the prior knowledge and approval of the candidate. All candidate information will be held in strict confidence until the final stage of the search at which time the express permission of finalists will be obtained before making their candidacy public. Candidates are urged to review all information and documents posted on the search web site, http://www.buffalo.edu/sphhp-dean. We actively encourage applications from and nominations of women, men and protected group members.
UB is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer/Recruiter.
The material presented in this position profile should be relied on for informational purposes only. This material has been copied, compiled, or quoted in part from University at Buffalo documents and personal interviews and is believed to be reliable. Naturally, while every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this information, the original source documents and factual situations govern.
