Dean’s Message – May 2025
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Congratulations to our students, faculty and staff for bringing the 2024-25 academic year to a successful close! These past few weeks were filled with numerous celebrations that highlighted the amazing work of our students with their faculty (Research Day) and the talent and aspiration of our students (Awards Celebration) that culminated with graduation and our Senior Recognition Ceremony.
Research Day, held at the end of April, once again was a huge success with over 100 abstracts submitted showcasing the work of undergraduate, masters and doctoral students with their faculty. Topics ranged from developmental exposures, postpartum depression, loneliness in college-age students, supporting children with developmental language disorders, the effects of physical activity on sleep quality, and so much more. This year’s winners are highlighted in the newsletter. Work by one of our newest junior faculty members, Dr. Melanna Cox, and post-doctoral fellows Kruuttika Satbhai and Jacob Thomas, were also showcased in a stellar fashion.
Our Awards Celebration held on May 3rd was a spectacular event that distributed scholarships and awards to 67 students totaling over $100,000 dollars! This is in addition to the $50,000 that was distributed earlier in the year to aid students who were studying aboard – ensuring that access to these programs are available to all – and the roughly $225,000 given to support our doctoral students through our Dean’s Fellowships. These funds are made possible through the generosity of our donors, including the many alumni reading this newsletter, and grants obtained by faculty that provide reimbursement for tuition charges. We are so grateful for this support that makes a huge difference in the lives of our talented students. Thank you for giving back and please continue to pay it forward by using this link for giving opportunities.
The final celebration of the month, from which I am still glowing, was our graduation ceremony. While the weekend is exhausting for me as a dean, the events are a reminder of why I chose to serve in this capacity in the first place. Each of the five celebrations I attended marked the achievements and success of our community. Witnessing the excitement, joy, and tears of the students and their parents is why we do what we do in higher education. Guiding students during these years of their educational attainment and growth as citizens of the world is truly a rewarding experience for our faculty and me as a dean.
As we move forward in these challenging times for higher education and public health, I am delighted to announce the hires of two Professors of the Practice who will provide us the leadership needed in being stronger and bolder in our advocacy efforts in the state and nation. These positions are a first in our school. Dr. Elizabeth Chen, a former State Secretary for Elder Affairs, the Assistant Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, and President of the New England College of Optometry, will direct our new online Master of Health Administration degree program, and Dr. Mariana Chilton, formerly from the Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health, where she founded and led the Center for Hunger-Free Communities for the last 20 years, will teach our students at every level and guide our faculty as they translate their work into evidence that will inform policy. We are excited to have them join us and are ready to engage them in our mission to educate and produce scholarship for a healthier world.