Our History

Timeline 

1917 The Brown Corporation recommends Public Health Program
1971 Department of Community Health created
1982 First Public Health Research Center founded
1995 Brown Corporation approves Program in Public Health
2002 Master of Public Health program receives CEPH accreditation
2004 School of Public Health expansion plan approved
2005 Brown purchases 121 South Main Street building to consolidate public health programs across the University
2011 Academic Departments developed  
2013 School of Public Health launched  
2013 Terrie Fox Wetle, MS, Ph.D., named Inaugural Dean for the School of Public Health
2016 CEPH Accreditation
2016 Launch of Continuum, the official magazine for the Brown University School of Public Health
2017 Bess H. Marcus, Ph.D. succeeds Fox Wetle as the second Dean for the School of Public Health
2019 Launch of Advancing Well-Being for All, the School's 2019-2024 strategic plan
2020 Ashish K. Jha, MD, MPH, succeeds Bess Marcus as the third Dean for the School of Public Health
2021 Brown purchases 155 South Main Street building for further expansion of the School of Public Health
2021 CEPH 7-year re-accreditation
2022 Dean Ashish Jha takes temporary leave for a short-term assignment with the federal government; Ronald Aubert appointed interim Dean in April.

Deans of the School of Public Health

  • Ronald Aubert

    Ronald Aubert Ph.D., MSPH

    Interim Dean (2022 — )

    An epidemiologist with unique and varied public health experience, Aubert serves as interim dean while Dr. Ashish Jha is on short-term leave for an assignment leading the nation’s COVID-19 response.

  • Ashish Jha

    Ashish K. Jha, MD, MPH

    Current Dean, 2020 — , (on leave)

    An accomplished physician, health policy researcher, and global health advocate, Dr. Jha joined the School of Public Health as dean in September of 2020.

  • Bess Marcus

    Bess Marcus, Ph.D.

    2017-2020

    The second dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, Marcus positioned the School to fulfill its mission with the development of a 5-year strategic plan. Under her leadership, the School received the largest grant in the history of Brown University to develop the IMPACT Collaboratory.

  • Wetle

    Terrie Fox Wetle, Ph.D.

    Founding Dean 2013-2017

    From 2000, when she arrived at Brown, Wetle worked to create the School of Public Health, which was fully accredited in 2016. Her leadership has had profound and lasting impacts on Brown University and on the public health landscape of Rhode Island.