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Office of the Provost, Division of Academic Affairs, University of Maryland

Announcements

New Dean of the School of Public Health

Colleagues:

I am very pleased to announce the appointment of Rear Admiral retired (RADM Ret) Dr. Boris D. Lushniak as Dean of the School of Public Health, effective January 9, 2017.

Dr. Lushniak is currently Professor and Chair of the Department of Preventive Medicine and Biostatistics, and Professor of Dermatology in the F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine. In this role, he leads a faculty team that is responsible for medical student education, graduate programs, two medical residency programs, and the Divisions of Global Health, Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Health Services Administration, Tropical Public Health, and the Infectious Disease Clinical Research Program.

Dr. Lushniak earned his B.S. and M.D. degrees in medical education from Northwestern University and his M.P.H. degree from Harvard University. He completed a residency in family medicine at St Joseph Hospital, Chicago, and maintains certifications in dermatology and preventive medicine (occupational).

Prior to joining USUHS, Dr. Lushniak served as the U.S. Deputy Surgeon General, assisting the Surgeon General to articulate the best available scientific information to the public to improve personal health and the health of the nation. He also oversaw the operations of the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps, comprised of approximately 6,700 uniformed health officers who serve in locations around the world to promote, protect, and advance the health and safety of our Nation. Dr. Lushniak had previously served as Acting Surgeon General responsible for the release of the 50th Anniversary Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking and Health and the first ever Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent Skin Cancer. He also served as commander of the USPHS Monrovia Medical Unit in Liberia, the only U.S. government hospital that provided care to Ebola patients.

Dr. Lushniak began his USPHS career in the Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) and initially served with the CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) where he conducted epidemiological investigations of workplace hazards. He completed a dermatology residency at the University of Cincinnati and established an occupational skin disease program at NIOSH. He also served on assignments in Bangladesh, St. Croix, Russia, and Kosovo, was part of the CDC/NIOSH team at Ground Zero and part of the CDC anthrax team in Washington, DC. Prior to his CDC service Dr. Lushniak worked for the FDA in the Office of Counterterrorism and was appointed FDA Assistant Commissioner.

Among his many awards and recognitions, Dr Lushniak has twice received the Surgeon General’s Medallion, which is awarded by the surgeon general for the highest level of contributions to initiatives of that office. It is rarely bestowed and extremely unusual for anyone to receive it twice.

Dr. Lushniak has a distinguished record of publications including numerous peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and government reports.

President Loh and I want to take this opportunity not only to say how enthusiastic we are about the future of the School of Public Health under Dr. Lushniak’s leadership, but also to thank outgoing Dean Jane Clark for her outstanding service to the School and the University for the past four-and-a-half years. Dr. Clark will continue as Dean until Dr. Lushniak assumes the post in January. Thanks also to the search committee, chaired by Dean Greg Ball, and to our friends at Isaacson Miller for the excellent job done conducting this search.

Please join me in welcoming Dr. Lushniak to his new role as Dean and to our Terp family.

Sincerely,

Mary Ann Rankin