A message from SPH
Dean, SPH
SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
801 Massachusetts Ave.
Suite 470
Boston, MA 02118
September 2021
We head back to campus this fall with energy and a renewed sense of urgency. Many of the devastating global consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic can be traced to underinvestment in public health infrastructure and in the conditions that make people healthy. We at the Boston University School of Public Health are determined to change this. Now is the time for public health leadership to take center stage—in research, education, and practice.
That has been our animating purpose this year as we mark the school’s 45th anniversary. Think. Teach. Do. For the health of all. Our core purpose drives us. Now, more than ever, innovative ideas and principled leadership are crucial to move us forward through action. With your support, BUSPH is uniquely positioned to further public health in new and bold ways.
We spent the last year highlighting our research in the most critical areas of public health, elevating the conversation around what it takes to keep people healthy. We featured members of our community who stepped up to support their peers. We spoke with our students—future public health leaders—and you, our alum, who are already out in the world making a real impact. This is only the most recent part of our story, because the school has been at the forefront of the field for the last 45 years.
As we move forward, these are among the top priorities for which we seek your continued support:
• We are pursuing five strategic research directions, our Big Ideas: health inequities; mental and behavioral health; cities and health; infectious diseases; and climate, the planet, and health. Each represents one of the school’s areas of strength and potential for growth. Taken together, they reinforce our efforts to tackle COVID-19 over the life course while also addressing the structural inequalities and health inequities deepened by the pandemic. These Big Ideas also provide opportunities for faculty recruitment, student practicums, and scholarship.
• Diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice drive all that we do. Scholarship tuition, financial aid, and practicum support for students help us meet that commitment. Last year, we provided more than $10 million in student aid and look to increase support with your help.
• Activist Lab students and faculty collaborate with community partners to bring about bold public health solutions; they address everything from climate change and homelessness to water and food insecurity. One current example: We are developing courses on how structural racism creates health inequities and how public health practitioners can lead in bringing about positive change.
We are grateful for your support. The 45th Anniversary Celebration will be held on November 18, 2021, and will honor the leading-edge research, educational excellence, and real-world influence BUSPH has championed in Boston and around the world. We invite you to celebrate with us by giving generously. Your gift will advance the research we produce, our students’ experience, and ultimately the health of all. Now is the time.
With deep thanks,
Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH
Dean and Robert A. Knox Professor, School of Public Health
PS: Please visit bu.edu/givetosph to support SPH today.