From the Dean

John Finnegan

For the majority of the 20th century, infectious disease became something of a sleeping giant. Deaths from infectious disease declined, largely as a result of improved public health measures. However, the sleeping giant awoke toward the end of the century, and the world saw an increase in deaths from infectious disease, largely due to AIDS and influenza. Concerns about infectious disease have mounted with the emergence of new diseases, and with the threat of an influenza pandemic.

Beginning on page 2, you can read about how SPH faculty members are working on many fronts with colleagues around the world to combat the threat of infectious disease.

The adoption of the latest learning technologies has long been a priority for our School, and I am thrilled to report we now have our own Podcast channel. It is a valuable new learning tool and a vehicle for delivering vital SPH information to a larger audience.  Our current programming consists of audio recordings from recent high-profile public lectures at the school. Anyone with an Internet connection and speakers can access the channel’s content. And those with a portable listening device (iPod or other MP3 player) can download the files and listen at their leisure. Simply log onto the SPH web site (www.sph.umn.edu) and click on “SPH Podcasts” at the top of the page.

We come to the end of the 2005-2006 school year with a great deal of satisfaction at having shepherded the largest number of students in our School’s history through an academic year. I have had the opportunity to round out my executive team with the addition of a new dean for student affairs and a new head of the division of epidemiology and community health. We also are experiencing great anticipation for the future. There is significant change underway at the University of Minnesota as we attempt to elevate ourselves to one of the top three research universities in the world. The School of Public Health is poised to assist greatly in that effort. I will keep you updated on that progress in future issues of Advances.
Yours in health,

John Finnegan
Assistant Vice President for Public Health
Dean and Professor

John R. Finnegan, Jr.
Dean

Judith Garrard
Senior Associate Dean for Research and Academic Affairs

Debra Olson
Associate Dean for Public Health Practice Education

William Riley
Associate Dean for Student Affairs

John Connett
Head, Division of Biostatistics

Bernard Harlow
Head, Division of Epidemiology and Community Health

Ira Moscovice
Interim Head, Division of Health Services Research and Policy

William Toscano
Head, Division of Environmental Health Sciences