{"id":15,"date":"2017-03-20T14:50:28","date_gmt":"2017-03-20T18:50:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/president\/?page_id=15"},"modified":"2025-11-09T15:05:15","modified_gmt":"2025-11-09T20:05:15","slug":"meet-our-president","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/president\/meet-our-president\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet Our President"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"president-profile\">\n<h2 class=\"greeting-name\">Melissa L. Gilliam<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"greeting-title\">President<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"office\"><strong>Address:<\/strong> One Silber Way, 8th Floor, Boston, Massachusetts 02215<\/li>\n<li class=\"email\"><strong>Email<\/strong>: <a href=\"mailto:president@bu.edu\">president@bu.edu<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"phone\"><strong>Phone<\/strong>: 617-353-2200<\/li>\n<li class=\"office pres-desk-link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/melissa-gilliam\">LinkedIn<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/president\/meet-our-president\/press-resources\/\" class=\"button button-primary\">Press Resources<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>Dr. Melissa L. Gilliam became Boston University\u2019s eleventh president on July 1, 2024. Dr. Gilliam is an esteemed and award-winning interdisciplinary researcher in medicine, public health, and the humanities. Dr. Gilliam joined Boston University from The Ohio State University, where she held the Engie-Axium chair and served as executive vice president and provost overseeing 15 colleges and six campuses and the Office of Academic Affairs, including undergraduate education, graduate education, international affairs, diversity and inclusion, external engagement, online learning, and information technology. She placed a keen focus on issues of access, affordability, and reducing student debt.<\/p>\n<div class=\"president-video\">\n<div class=\"responsive-video responsive-youtube\">\n      <!-- \n\n<div id=\"video-placeholder\"><\/div>\n\n--><br \/>\n      <iframe id=\"buniverse-video\" src=\"\/\/www.bu.edu\/buniverse\/interface\/embed\/embed.html?v=q186l2Ur\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\n   <\/div>\n<div class=\"president-video__chapters\">\n<details open class=\"president-video__chapters-details\">\n<summary class=\"president-video__chapters-summary\">Q&#038;A with President Gilliam<\/summary>\n<div class=\"president-video__chapters-content\">\n<ul class=\"president-video__chapters-list\">\n<li class=\"president-video__chapters-item\">\n                  <button id=\"vid-p1\" class=\"president-video__chapters-link\"><br \/>\n                     <span class=\"president-video__chapters-number\">1.<\/span><br \/>\n                     <span class=\"president-video__chapters-title\">What is your vision for Boston University?<\/span><br \/>\n                  <\/button>\n               <\/li>\n<li class=\"president-video__chapters-item\">\n                  <button id=\"vid-p2\" class=\"president-video__chapters-link\"><br \/>\n                     <span class=\"president-video__chapters-number\">2.<\/span><br \/>\n                     <span class=\"president-video__chapters-title\">What is special about Boston University?<\/span><br \/>\n                  <\/button>\n               <\/li>\n<li class=\"president-video__chapters-item\">\n                  <button id=\"vid-p3\" class=\"president-video__chapters-link\"><br \/>\n                     <span class=\"president-video__chapters-number\">3.<\/span><br \/>\n                     <span class=\"president-video__chapters-title\">What makes Boston University a global institution?<\/span><br \/>\n                  <\/button>\n               <\/li>\n<li class=\"president-video__chapters-item\">\n                  <button id=\"vid-p4\" class=\"president-video__chapters-link\"><br \/>\n                     <span class=\"president-video__chapters-number\">4.<\/span><br \/>\n                     <span class=\"president-video__chapters-title\">What has BU\u2019s community taught you so far?<\/span><br \/>\n                  <\/button>\n               <\/li>\n<li class=\"president-video__chapters-item\">\n                  <button id=\"vid-p5\" class=\"president-video__chapters-link\"><br \/>\n                     <span class=\"president-video__chapters-number\">5.<\/span><br \/>\n                     <span class=\"president-video__chapters-title\">What makes BU stand out as a modern institution?<\/span><br \/>\n                  <\/button>\n               <\/li>\n<li class=\"president-video__chapters-item\">\n                  <button id=\"vid-p6\" class=\"president-video__chapters-link\"><br \/>\n                     <span class=\"president-video__chapters-number\">6.<\/span><br \/>\n                     <span class=\"president-video__chapters-title\">What stands out to you about Boston University\u2019s students?<\/span><br \/>\n                  <\/button>\n               <\/li>\n<li class=\"president-video__chapters-item\">\n                  <button id=\"vid-p7\" class=\"president-video__chapters-link\"><br \/>\n                     <span class=\"president-video__chapters-number\">7.<\/span><br \/>\n                     <span class=\"president-video__chapters-title\">What is your vision for BU\u2019s interdisciplinary research?<\/span><br \/>\n                  <\/button>\n               <\/li>\n<li class=\"president-video__chapters-item\">\n                  <button id=\"vid-p8\" class=\"president-video__chapters-link\"><br \/>\n                     <span class=\"president-video__chapters-number\">8.<\/span><br \/>\n                     <span class=\"president-video__chapters-title\">What is the importance of community service at BU?<\/span><br \/>\n                  <\/button>\n               <\/li>\n<li class=\"president-video__chapters-item\">\n                  <button id=\"vid-p9\" class=\"president-video__chapters-link\"><br \/>\n                     <span class=\"president-video__chapters-number\">9.<\/span><br \/>\n                     <span class=\"president-video__chapters-title\">What issues are most pressing for Boston University?<\/span><br \/>\n                  <\/button>\n               <\/li>\n<li class=\"president-video__chapters-item\">\n                  <button id=\"vid-p10\" class=\"president-video__chapters-link\"><br \/>\n                     <span class=\"president-video__chapters-number\">10.<\/span><br \/>\n                     <span class=\"president-video__chapters-title\">What role will the arts play at Boston University?<\/span><br \/>\n                  <\/button>\n               <\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/details><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Prior to joining Ohio State, Dr. Gilliam spent the majority of her career at the University of Chicago, where she was the Ellen H. Block Distinguished Service Professor of Health Justice, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology and pediatrics, and vice provost. In the latter role, her portfolio consisted of faculty hiring, faculty development, chair development, and diversity and inclusion. In these roles, she oversaw the Neubauer Family Assistant Professors Program, the Provost Postdoctoral Scholars Program, and faculty awards and recognition.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Gilliam\u2019s scholarship focuses on developing biomedical and innovative interventions to promote adolescent health and well-being. Her research funders have included the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the Bill &#038; Melinda Gates Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Irving Harris Foundation, and others. Dr. Gilliam is a member of the National Academy of Medicine, the American Gynecological Club, and the American Gynecological &#038; Obstetrical Society. She serves on the Board of Governors of Argonne National Laboratory and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Among her many awards and honors, she received the King Arts Center Legacy Award in 2022, was named a Centennial Scholar of the Institute of Medicine of Chicago, and received the Chicago Urban League Innovator Award, the US Food and Drug Administration Advisory Committee Service Award, and the Chicago Foundation for Women Impact Award. She has published over 100 articles in her field.<\/p>\n<p>A native of Washington, D.C., she is the daughter of the late, world-renowned, abstract painter Sam Gilliam and the pioneering journalist at the <em>Washington Post<\/em> Dorothy Butler Gilliam, the first Black female reporter hired at the paper. Dr. Gilliam earned her Bachelor of Arts in English literature from Yale University, a Master of Arts in philosophy and politics from the University of Oxford, a Doctor of Medicine from Harvard University, and a Master of Public Health from the University of Illinois Chicago. She completed an internship in general surgery at the University of Chicago and her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University.<\/p>\n<div class=\"promo-callout\">\n<h4>Q&#038;A: First Impressions, Challenges, and Ambitions<\/h4>\n<p>A conversation with BU\u2019s 11th president, Melissa L. Gilliam<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/articles\/2024\/president-melissa-gilliam-on-impressions-challenges-and-ambitions\/\" class=\"button button-primary\">Read More<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"promo-callout promo-leaders\">\n<h4>Leaders Among Us: Conversations with President Gilliam<\/h4>\n<p>Progress and success don\u2019t happen automatically. Hear from leaders among us who have found ways to move forward.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"\/president\/meet-our-president\/leaders-among-us-conversations-with-president-gilliam\/\" class=\"button button-primary\">Meet Leaders<\/a>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Melissa L. Gilliam President Address: One Silber Way, 8th Floor, Boston, Massachusetts 02215 Email: president@bu.edu [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11144,"featured_media":2211,"parent":0,"menu_order":3,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"bu-landing","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/15"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11144"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15"}],"version-history":[{"count":53,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/15\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4285,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/15\/revisions\/4285"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2211"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}