Dean Galea Appointed to Knox Professorship.
Dean Sandro Galea has been appointed as the Robert A. Knox Professor of Boston University.
The professorship supports a BU faculty member who demonstrates excellence in scholarship, research, and teaching, as well as impact on society.
“Professor Galea’s energetic leadership and foundational research in the health of urban populations are sparking important new conversations and producing tangible results in communities across the globe,” says University Provost and Chief Academic Officer Jean Morrison.
“His work exemplifies the impactful, multidisciplinary approach at the core of this distinguished professorship.”
“I am honored and humbled to receive the Robert A. Knox Professorship,” says Galea, thanking the Knox family. “I am thrilled that this professorship joins other endowed professorships held by scholars who are part of our School community.”
Dean Galea’s current research interests focus on the social production of health of urban populations. His research examines the causes of brain disorders, particularly common mood-anxiety disorders and substance abuse. He is also a leading expert on the health consequences of mass trauma and conflict worldwide, including the September 11 attacks, Hurricane Katrina, conflicts in sub-Saharan Africa, and combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. His most recent book, Population Health Science, coauthored with Katherine Keyes, is forthcoming from Oxford University Press. The National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and several foundations, including a 2006 Investigator Award in Health Policy Research from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, have supported his work, and he is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine and of the American Epidemiologic Society.
Dean Galea is the second faculty member to receive the professorship and the second from SPH. The previous Robert A. Knox Professor was Jonathan Simon, former director of the BU Center for Global Health and Development.
The Robert A. Knox Professorship was established through a $2.5 million gift from The Robert and Jeanne Knox Foundation, a philanthropic entity co-founded by BU Board of Trustees Chair Robert Knox (CAS ’74, GSM ’75) and his wife, Jeanne, who heads the BU Parents Leadership Council.