Farewell, Fox

“I can’t begin to enumerate the things I have learned from Fox,” Wilson said at the celebration. “But let me say that I have never worked with a leader whom I trust more to be direct, to be honest, to see the important angles of a problem that others often miss, to not be afraid to say what needs to be said—or do what needs to be done—and to be wise and balanced in her approach, no matter how vexing the problem.”

In 2000, Fox Wetle left her position as deputy director of the NIH’s National Institute on Aging to become Brown’s first associate dean of medicine for public health and public policy. She would eventually unite Brown’s research centers, dedicated to areas such as gerontology, primary care, HIV/AIDS, addiction and international health, into a cohesive program.

For over 15 years, Wetle pursued the vision of establishing a school of public health at Brown. She collaborated with three University presidents, five provosts and four deans of Brown’s Medical School, one of whom was her husband, Dr. Richard Besdine. Wetle’s dedication bore fruit when, in 2016, the School of Public Health achieved accreditation on its first attempt.

“Twenty-three years ago, Vince Mor began a campaign to recruit me away from the NIH,” Wetle said at the event:

“Fox came to Brown in 2000 as part of a ‘spousal recruitment package,’” said Professor Mor. “Don Marsh, who was dean of Biomed at the time, agreed to help me recruit Richard Besdine to be the director of the gerontology center and the first David S. Greer Chair of Geriatrics. Don thought he was doing me a favor. But literally within two months after Fox got here, he thanked me and thanked me and thanked me – because she was the best hire he ever made.”