SPH Welcomes New Associate Dean
Patricia O’Brien joins SPH as associate dean of administration and finance.
After a nine-month search, the School of Public Health has appointed a new associate dean of administration and finance: Patricia O’Brien, former deputy dean of Harvard College and former dean of the Simmons College School of Management.
O’Brien, who started on July 23, is responsible for the school’s administrative and financial operations, tasks that mesh well with her organization-building abilities. “I like making sure that faculty can do research and that everything is in place for students to have a good experience,” she says.
O’Brien is also excited to be working in public health. “I find the work that’s being done here in public health is so important and plays such a critical role in society,” she says. “I’m helping a school be successful doing work that is of everyday value.”
Robert F. Meenan (MED’72, GSM’89), dean of SPH, has high praise for O’Brien. “Pat brings a tremendous combination of skills, experience, and talent to this critical and central role,” he says.
Rebecca McNamara can be reached at ramc@bu.edu.