School of Public Health leader begins second five-year term

Paul D. Cleary, Ph.D., has been reappointed by Yale President Richard C. Levin as dean of the Yale School of Public Health (YSPH) and chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at the School of Medicine.

Cleary, the Anna M.R. Lauder Professor of Public Health, began his second five-year term on July 1.

In a letter to the YSPH community announcing the reappointment, Levin wrote that “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.”

During Cleary’s first term, applications for admission to YSPH’s Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) program have increased 30 percent, to a record number of 1,049 applications in 2010. In September 2009, the program’s new 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 faculty and doctoral program have been ranked by the National Research Council as among the finest in the nation.

The school has also expanded its research portfolio under Cleary’s direction, especially in cancer prevention, one of the school’s core areas of focus. YSPH researchers are studying links between nutrition and exercise and several cancers, including lung, mouth and throat, esophageal, stomach, breast, and ovarian cancers.

In addition, Cleary has strengthened the school’s ongoing research on global infectious diseases. Faculty at YSPH are conducting important studies of many diseases and disease agents including leptospirosis, Lyme disease, babesiosis, African trypanosomes, hantavirsus, leishmaniasis, and HIV. These investigations are aimed at preventing infection and reducing the negative consequences of disease in vulnerable and underserved populations.

Cleary has developed and expanded YSPH’s public health service and practice activities, including a new Office of Community Health at YSPH that has created a sustainable model for community service focused on programs to improve the health of New Haven–area residents. In another example of regional engagement, the school has established the Community Alliance for Research and Engagement (CARE), a collaboration with the Yale Center for Clinical Investigation and the city of New Haven’s mayor’s office, school system, and community organizations.

The school is also deeply involved in the Yale 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,” said Levin. “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.”