New Leadership Roles in the School of Public Health

Stefanie Friedhoff
Senior Director of Content, Strategy and Public Affairs
A veteran international journalist with experience in news media and higher education, Ms. Friedhoff oversees the Schools’ communication and engagement efforts, serves as a key strategic advisor on thought leadership and innovation to the Dean, and oversees the Dean’s ongoing special projects and pandemics portfolio.

Kim Gans, Ph.D., MPH
Director of Community Engagement
In this new position, Professor Gans will provide planning and guidance for community engagement and will work with community partners to identify issues most important in advancing well-being in our community.

Annie Gjelsvik, Ph.D.
MPH Program Director
An instrumental contributor to the MPH curriculum and CEPH accreditation process, Professor Gjelsvik succeeds Dr. Patrick Vivier as Director of the MPH program. In this role, she oversees student recruitment, admissions, dual degree programs, MPH concentrations, applied public health experiences, curriculum, and advising, while positioning the program for growth.

Diana Grigsby-Toussaint, Ph.D.
Associate Director of Dual Degree Programs
In this role Professor Grigsby-Toussaint oversees the Schools dual degree programs, including the new undergraduate/MPH program, the Health Equity Scholars program, and the Brown-Tougaloo Partnership programs.

Patricia Risica, MPH, DrPH
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Professor Risica succeeds Mark Lurie, Ph.D., who held the position since 2017. In this role Dr. Risica leads and oversees the undergraduate concentration in public health, ensuring the concentration meets Council on Education for Public Health accreditation, overseeing a team of concentration advisors, reviewing courses, and representing the School with relevant committees.

David Savitz, Ph.D.
Deputy Dean of the School of Public Health
This temporary post supports the operations of the School through December 2020, working closely with School leadership to ensure a smooth transition to a new financial model for the School and to maximize the impact of the changes we are making.

Jennifer Tidey, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Research
Having led the School’s research agenda as interim associate dean for research since January 2020, and showing extraordinary leadership in navigating our research through the COVID-19 pandemic, Professor Tidey succeeds David Savitz, Ph.D. in the deanship. In this role, she leads the planning and implementation of the School’s research agenda, including strengthening school-wide systems for the preparation of research initiatives and the attainment of research funding.

Amal Trivedi, M.D., MPH
Director of the Clinical and Translational Research Programs
Dr. Trivedi succeeds Dr. Patrick Vivier’s directorship of the Clinical and Translational Research degree programs, working to position the programs for growth and continued excellence.

Anya Rader Wallack, Ph.D.
Associate Director of Public Health Practice
In this new role Professor Wallack will develop and implement new applied public health learning experiences while strengthening relationships with current learning experience sites, and working to connect MPH practice to
accreditation guidelines.

Sara Walsh
Executive Dean of Finance and Administration
Formerly the Assistant Vice President of Finance, Operational Support and Special Projects within Brown University’s Division of Finance, Ms. Walsh serves as the chief operating and financial officer for the School. She is a strategic leader, responsible for implementing the School’s financial model, creating a dynamic administrative structure, and space planning to support the growing needs of the School’s mission.