School of Public Health Commencement Ceremony

A special Sunday ceremony honoring graduates of our School of Public Health

Congratulations to the class of 2024: future public health researchers, educators and practitioners. You have come far, worked hard and achieved your goal. Now go forth and make your mark upon the world.

Sunday, May 26, 2024

Ruth J. Simmons Quadrangle
Brown University
Providence, Rhode Island

Congratulations, Class of 2024

 

Watch the full event video of Sunday's School of Public Health Commencement Ceremony

Welcome & Introductions

Ashish K. Jha M.D., MPH

Dean, School of Public Health

Jha

An accomplished and practicing physician, Dr. Jha is recognized globally as a trusted expert on major issues impacting public health, and a catalyst for new thinking and approaches. A long-time leader on pandemic preparedness and response, from directing groundbreaking research on Ebola to serving on the frontlines of the COVID-19 response, he has led national and international analysis of key issues and advised local and federal policy makers around the world.

President Joe Biden appointed Dr. Jha as White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator in March 2022, describing him as “one of the leading public health experts in America.” Dr. Jha led the work that increased the development of and access to treatments and newly formulated vaccines, dramatically improved testing and surveillance, facilitated major investments in indoor air quality measures, and put in place an infrastructure to respond to current and future disease outbreaks more effectively. He has received bipartisan praise for his pragmatic approach to public health that, in the words of President Biden, “translates…complex scientific challenges into concrete actions” that help improve millions of lives.

Before joining the Brown School of Public Health, Dr. Jha was a professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Harvard Medical School. He was the faculty director of the Harvard Global Health Institute from 2014 until 2020 and has held other various leadership roles at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Wilmot James Ph.D.

Senior Advisor to the Pandemic Center and Professor of the Practice of Health Services, Policy and Practice

Wilmot James

Wilmot James Ph.D., an internationally recognized thought leader in biosecurity, global health, and pandemic preparedness, is a senior advisor to the School’s Pandemic Center.

James has served as Member of Parliament and Shadow Minister of Health in South Africa, and most recently held positions at Columbia University as Senior Research Scholar at the Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy and as Chair of the Center for Pandemic Research. He is a highly sought-after consultant for organizations such as the African Society for Laboratory Medicine and the Nuclear Threat Initiative, and serves on the advisory board of Resolve to Save Lives. James uses his extensive experience to address public health and national security challenges in his role as senior advisor to the Pandemic Center.

Keynote Address

Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, D-CT

U.S. Representative for Connecticut’s Third Congressional District

DeLauro

As the top Democrat on the powerful House Appropriations Committee, and the second woman to chair the Committee, Congresswoman DeLauro is a relentless advocate for working families and children. She has prioritized critical investments to support the strengthening of core public health capabilities at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), including increased funding for CDC laboratories, public health data modernization and investments in our public health workforce.

A lifelong champion of paid family and medical leave, paid sick leave and improving women’s health care, DeLauro’s leadership was instrumental in the passage of the monthly, expanded and improved Child Tax Credit, which reached millions of families, reducing child poverty to the lowest recorded levels in history.

DeLauro also leads efforts to improve and expand federal support for child nutrition, and for modernizing our food safety system. As an ovarian cancer survivor, she is an outspoken advocate for research and expanded access to care – particularly for women and underserved communities.

Public Health Champion Award

The Public Health Champion Award, the highest honor bestowed by by Brown University's School of Public Health, honors individuals whose work reflects a commitment to that mission with demonstrated vision and leadership in public health, furthering health and health equity around the world.

Honoring Our Graduates

Presentation and acknowledgment of academic degrees

  • Bachelor of Arts, Concentration in Public Health

  • Bachelor of Science, Concentration in Statistics

See Full List of Graduates

  • Doctoral Program in Behavioral and Social Health Sciences

  • Doctoral Program in Biostatistics

  • Doctoral Program in Epidemiology

  • Doctoral Program in Health Services Research

  • Master of Science in Biostatistics

  • Master of Science in Clinical and Translational Research

  • Master of Public Health

  • Master of Public Health/Master of Public Affairs

See Full List of Graduates

Closing Remarks

After Dean Jha's closing remarks, a reception was held for graduates and their families.

Stage Party

  • Karen Andes Ph.D., Director of the Master of Public Health Program
  • Ronald Aubert Ph.D., MSPH, Senior Associate Dean of Education
  • Francesca Beaudoin M.D., Ph.D., Academic Dean
  • Katie Biello Ph.D., Interim Chair, Behavioral and Social Sciences
  • Joseph Braun Ph.D., Interim Chair, Epidemiology
  • Kate Carey Ph.D., Director of the Doctoral Program in Behavioral and Social Sciences
  • Stavroula Chrysanthopoulou Ph.D., Director of the Master's Program in Biostatistics
  • Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-CT
  • Omar Galarraga Ph.D., Director of the Doctoral Program in Health Services, Policy, and Practice
  • Roee Gutman Ph.D., Director of the Undergraduate Statistics Concentration
  • Joseph Hogan Ph.D., Chair, Biostatistics
  • Wilmot James Ph.D., Professor of the Practice of Health Services, Policy and Practice
  • Ashish K. Jha M.D., MPH, Dean
  • Patti Risica DrPH, Director of Undergraduate Studies
  • Scott Rivkees M.D., Interim Chair, Health Services, Policy, and Practice
  • Zhijin Wu Ph.D., Director of the Doctoral Program in Biostatistics

Corporation Trustee

Murchison

Joelle A. Murchison ’95, MED, MS is principal and founder of ExecMommyGroup LLC, a diversity and inclusion strategic consulting practice. A founding member of Brown’s Inman Page Black Alumni Council, Murchison is adjunct professor of management at the UCONN School of Business and serves as Executive Director of the Lawyers Collaborative for Diversity, as chair of the board of directors of RE-Center Race and Equity in Education, and is a member of the board of directors of College Possible.

More about Joelle A. Murchison

Note: This event was photographed and video recorded for archival, educational, and related promotional purposes.