Dear Colleagues:

I hope you are all having a terrific fall. It continues to be a lively time here at the School as our 40th anniversary year is wrapping up.

As you are aware, our anniversary year will culminate with a gala celebration at the State Room in Boston on November 17. The 40th Anniversary Gala will be the capstone of this year’s celebration of the School’s four decades of contributions toward improving the health of vulnerable populations in Boston and beyond.

A highlight of the evening will be the presentation of the Beyond Health Awards that are given to individuals who have made a lasting contribution to creating the conditions that make populations healthy so that all can live full lives. This year we have two outstanding Beyond Health Awardees: Janice Cooper, project lead for the Carter Center Liberia Mental Health Program, and Larry Kessler, founding director of the AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts. In addition, Jeannine Rivet (SPH’81) and Warren Herreid II will be inducted into the William Fairfield Warren Society by President Robert A. Brown in a special ceremony to recognize them as philanthropic leaders in giving to the School.

The presentation of our Distinguished Alumni Awards will also be a part of our gala program. This year we have three outstanding alumni award recipients: Dr. Kathryn Brinsfield (SPH ’01), assistant secretary and chief medical officer at the US Department of Homeland Security; Dr. Hania Dawani (SON ’81,’89, SPH ’86), a mental health and nursing consultant, faculty member at the Higher Colleges of Technology, and adjunct professor at California State University, Northridge; and Dr. Mark Keroack (SPH ’00), president and CEO of Baystate Health.

We are delighted that the event is serving to raise funds to support the School, and we are grateful to all the individual and corporate sponsors of the event. Please visit our gala website to learn more about the celebration and how you can purchase tickets or make your contribution to our School during this celebratory year.

I also extend an invitation to all for our final symposium of 2016, being held on December 1 on the topic of “How Does Where You Live Affect Your Health?” The symposium will explore the roles of the built environment and housing and will evaluate the science on how interventions can improve the health of vulnerable populations. As always, the event will be live-streamed for those unable to attend on campus.

A final note. Leslie Kolterman, our assistant dean of development and alumni relations, recently let me know that she will be stepping down from her position to pursue other opportunities effective November 30, 2016. Many of you have known Leslie over the years. Leslie joined SPH in October 2011 and has been responsible for professionalizing the School’s substantial work in fundraising. What you may not know is that Leslie built our current Development and Alumni Relations program from the ground up. Under her leadership, formalizing strategies for alumni engagement have increased annual giving by 25 percent. The development team has raised endowed scholarships, established new faculty support funds, and raised seed funding for pilot research. She has also partnered with colleagues in the central BU development office and at other schools to increase awareness about SPH across a broader BU audience. Leslie has also been instrumental in helping to build and strengthen our Dean’s Advisory Board, working closely with myself and, previously, Dean Meenan.

I have thoroughly enjoyed working with Leslie, and together we have developed a strategic plan for development. This year, we substantially increased our development and alumni activities, engaging both through 40 dinners and events around the country and the world. Leslie has set the stage for furthering our rising trajectory in development in 2017 and going forward.

Leslie leaves the School’s development and alumni operations primed for continued success, and for that I am immensely grateful. I am particularly pleased that Leslie will be with us through the capstone gala event of our 40th anniversary celebrations in November. We are in Leslie’s debt for her contributions throughout the years leading to this event, positioning the School for future success in 2017 and beyond. Please join me in wishing Leslie our very best and the greatest of success in all her future endeavors as she moves forward on her journey. We will announce a date for a celebration of Leslie’s tenure shortly.

I hope everyone has a wonderful month.

Warm regards,

Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH
Dean, Robert A. Knox Professor
@sandrogalea

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