Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Student Health Services, the Occupational Health Center, and the Research Occupational Health Program worked collaboratively to support BU students, faculty, and staff as a unified health service dedicated to supporting the campus through symptom screening, testing, and contact tracing. This natural collaboration evolved into a more formal alignment in spring 2023 with the creation of a Chief Health Office (CHO) for Boston University.
The Chief Health Office comprises Student Health Services, the Occupational Health Center, and the Research Occupational Health Program. In this structure, the Occupational Health Center and the Research Occupational Health Program join Student Health Services working directly with Boston University’s chief health officer and executive director of Student Health Services. The goal is to continue to build on collaborations inspired by the pandemic, align medical policies for these three offices that serve only campus community members, and work towards greater promotion of wellness for our entire campus.
Dr. Judy Platt, Chief Health Officer and Executive Director of Student Health Services
Dr. Judy Platt is Boston University’s senior staff member responsible for advising University leadership and overseeing issues related to health and disease management for all members of the University community. She is a member of the University Leadership Group and Provost’s Cabinet, reporting directly to the University provost.
In addition to managing BU’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, she leads the University Health Advisory Board, advising the University provost and president on issues affecting the health and safety of all students, faculty, and staff.
Dr. Platt represents the University regionally and nationally on public health issues related to higher education, partners with scholarly researchers to address public health responses on a university campus, and provides medical consultation as needed to the 15 healthcare service units across Boston University. As executive director of Student Health Services, she oversees the services the University provides to students through its Primary Care, Behavioral Medicine, Sexual Assault Response & Prevention, Health Promotion and Prevention, and Athletic Training Services departments. She also partners with BU Risk Management to co-chair the Student Health Insurance Plan Committee and works to ensure that all state and federal guidelines are upheld and best practices are followed.
