Yale President Richard C. Levin on Tuesday formally announced the reappointment of Paul D. Cleary as dean of the Yale School of Public Health. Dean Cleary’s second five-year term begins July 1 and will run through 2016. Here is President Levin’s full message to the School of Public health community:
June 21, 2011
To the Faculty and Staff in the School of Public Health:
It is with great pleasure that I announce the reappointment of Paul D. Cleary, Anna M.R. Lauder Professor of Public Health, as the Dean of the School of Public Health and Chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health. His second five-year term will begin July 1, 2011.
Faculty, staff, and students enthusiastically support Dean Cleary’s reappointment, noting his commitment to public health, his clear vision for the School, and the School’s steadily upward trend during his tenure. In his first term, applications for M.P.H. admission have increased 30 percent, to a record number of 1,049 applications in 2010. In September 2009, the new M.P.H. Global Health Concentration admitted its first cohort of students and in 2010, it accounted for 27 percent of M.P.H. applicants. The School’s doctoral program also has been independently recognized by the National Research Council as one of the finest in the nation.
Dean Cleary has made impressive progress in developing and expanding the School's public health service and practice activities. A sustainable model for community service activities has been created through the new Office of Community Health, which focuses on regional programs and activities aimed at improving the health of New Haven area residents. In addition, the School has established the Community Alliance for Research and Engagement (CARE), a transdisciplinary “bench to bedside to community” collaboration with the Yale Center for Clinical Investigation and the City of New Haven’s municipal offices, school system, and community organizations.
Under Dean Cleary’s direction, the School has expanded its research portfolio, especially in cancer prevention, one of the school's core areas of focus. Researchers are currently studying the link between nutrition and exercise and several cancers, including lung, mouth and throat, esophageal, stomach, breast, and ovarian cancers. Dean Cleary has strengthened the School's ongoing research on global infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, including studies aimed at the prevention of HIV infection and the reduction of the negative consequences of the disease in vulnerable and underserved populations, as well as research on related legal and policy issues.
The School is also deeply involved in Yale's Global Health Initiative, which has developed a strategy for engaging a broader group of scholars at Yale who are making major contributions to global health research and education.
Equal access to quality health care is essential for disease prevention and health promotion for every individual around the world. Faculty, staff, and students are actively engaged in the study of health disparities, health care quality, access, and delivery, and public and private policy in this country and across the globe.
Yale is fortunate to have Paul Cleary leading the School of Public Health, and I know you join me in thanking him for his willingness to serve for a second term.
With best wishes,
Sincerely yours,
Richard C. Levin