Ashish Jha will step down from his position as dean of the School of Public Health and leave Brown at the end of this calendar year, Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 announced in an email to the University community.
Following Jha’s departure, Francesca Beaudoin PhD’16, the current academic dean for SPH and a professor of epidemiology and emergency medicine, will become the interim dean starting Jan. 1.
Next year, Jha will “lead an initiative that aims to bolster our nation’s defenses against emerging pandemic and biological threats,” according to Paxson. It is unclear what the initiative is, and when asked about it, Jha wrote in an email to The Herald that “we are in a new age of biological threats and I believe that requires new approaches and responses.”
“It’s critically important work that will be driven by collaborations with scientists, policymakers and organizations,” he added. “I’m very excited about what’s next.”
He wrote that he has “mixed emotions” about leaving Brown but that he overall feels “at peace” and “confident” about the future of the school.
“I have loved being at Brown and it has been an honor to serve the (SPH) as dean,” Jha wrote in an email to The Herald. “I will miss the students, faculty and staff that make this such a vibrant and powerful place.” In an email to the SPH community, Jha described his time at Brown as “the most fulfilling and rewarding of (his) academic career.”
Jha, who is a professor of health services, policy and practice as well as a practicing physician, became SPH dean in September 2020 and led the school during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, he was selected by former President Joe Biden to be the White House COVID-19 response coordinator.
Before joining the SPH, Jha was a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and a professor of global health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
An infectious disease expert who regularly provides analysis on global public health issues and has been critical of the Trump administration’s public health policies, Jha oversaw significant expansion of the SPH that included doubling graduate student enrollment and opening an office in Washington D.C., according to Paxson’s email.
“While Ashish’s leadership will be missed at Brown, he is embarking on exciting work that will have an impact far beyond the University,” Paxson wrote. “As the U.S. and other nations have continued to witness the impact of avian flu, mpox, COVID-19 and other infectious diseases, Ashish’s work can bring scientists, policymakers and organizations together to develop solutions to confront a new era of biological threats.”
“What I am most proud of is how the (SPH) has grown in its impact, not just its size,” Jha wrote.
In an email to The Herald, Beaudoin called Jha “an inspirational and compassionate leader,” crediting him with facilitating the SPH’s transformation to “a powerhouse of public health impact.”
Looking to her January start as interim dean, Beaudoin also wrote that she is “honored” and “excited” about her new role.
“From my time as Ph.D. candidate to my service as academic dean, I have seen firsthand the power of our approach to public health education, research and translation,” she wrote.
Beaudoin is a practicing emergency physician and clinical epidemiologist who specializes in opioid use disorders and adverse post-traumatic health outcomes. As the principal investigator of many federally and privately funded clinical research projects, Beaudoin has investigated chronic pain, opioid addiction and, more recently, long COVID.
Over her career, Beaudoin has advocated for legislation in Rhode Island to address the country’s opioid drug epidemic and has studied state-level emergency care interventions on opioid overdoses.
Jha described Beaudoin as an “an excellent choice” for interim dean and added that she is “beloved by students and respected by faculty.”
“I have worked hand-in-hand with Francesca in her role as academic dean and am grateful for her thoughtful and decisive leadership,” he wrote. “I am forever grateful for her partnership during my tenure.”
Elise Haulund is the managing editor of production and development for The Herald's 136th Editorial Board. She is from Redondo Beach, CA. Concentrating in English and biology, she has a passion for exploring the intersection between STEM and the humanities. Outside of writing, researching and editing, she enjoys ballet-dancing, cafe-hopping and bullet-journaling.
