Dr. David J. Lee Named Chair of Department of Public Health Sciences
David J. Lee, Ph.D., has been named chair of the Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
Dr. Lee, who has served as acting chair of the department throughout the devastating COVID-19 public health crisis, brings 30 years of experience on the UM faculty as a public health leader in research, education, and vital service to surrounding communities, and the world.
Dr. David J. Lee
His work as a leading chronic disease and occupational health epidemiologist is part of a body of research that places the department among the top in National Institutes of Health funding. “Dr. Lee and the department are pursuing their overarching vision of a world with healthy people living in healthy communities,” Henri R. Ford, M.D., M.H.A., dean and chief academic officer of the Miller School of Medicine, said in his announcement.
“Under his leadership, connections to our immediate region and to countless international sites have grown exponentially, improving quality of life and providing unmatched training opportunities for students.”
That training has accelerated as the pandemic has educated the public at large about the importance of public health and highlighted the need for more experts in areas including epidemiology, prevention science, infectious disease, community health, environmental health, biostatistics, and public policy.
Meeting that need is a top priority for Dr. Lee. The department has seen a dramatic increase in applications to its master’s and doctoral programs, and online programs and other innovations will help reach an even larger and more diverse pool of students in the coming years. A highlight of the Miller School’s growing programs is the M.D./M.P.H. program — the largest in the country.
Dr. Lee’s vision as chair also includes “planetary resiliency,” an emerging priority for UM public health teams that addresses the concerns of climate change and its impact on people and environments. The department will collaborate with other disciplines within the University and beyond to develop what Dr. Lee calls “a central role in working toward healthier people, healthier communities, and a healthier planet.”
In addition to his research, his community focus, and his “real joy and passion” for training the next generation of scientists, Dr. Lee is principal investigator for the Florida Cancer Data System, which is based at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. For more than a decade he has been involved in the state cancer registry, one of the most widely respected in the U.S. for its leadership and innovation.
“We are grateful to Dr. Lee for his inspired leadership and service, and we look forward to the continued acceleration of the critical work of the Miller School of Medicine Department of Public Health Sciences,” Dr. Ford said.
Tags: Dean Henri R. Ford, Department of Public Health Sciences, Dr. David J. Lee