Bloomberg School of Public Health
Advisory Board Meeting Minutes
Thursday, December 19, 2002 | 3:00 p.m. | 867th Meeting

Members Absent: Drs. William Brody, Martha Hill, Jonathan Links, Edward Miller, and Alfred Sommer.

Guests: Drs. Sharon Krag and Cecile Pickart; and Ms Diane Glover.

Meeting Convened: Provost Knapp convened the meeting at 3:00 p.m.

Approval of the Minutes: Minutes of the 866th meeting on November 21, 2002 were approved.

Remarks by the Provost

Provost Knapp reported that legislation has been passed allowing the City to take over property to the north of the Hopkins East Baltimore campus for use as a biotechnology park and other purposes. He noted that a partnership between the City, local legislators, Hopkins, and other groups includes urban renewal and community and economic development, and that the Baltimore-based Casey Foundation has become involved in a very positive way. Local legislators have been supportive of this ambitious and long-term project that seeks to improve the broad infrastructure of the community, improve schools and provide jobs at all levels. In response to several questions, Dr. Knapp noted that development of an industrial/technology park in Northeast Baltimore is a large and long-term undertaking. Drs. Knapp and Steinwachs suggested that the Advisory Board might be interested in learning more about the development plans for Northeast Baltimore.

Dr. Knapp commented that as the incoming administration of the new State government is identified, Hopkins representatives will work to assure that the JHU perspective and its important role in the State is recognized. He further commented that while the new US Department of Homeland Security is likely to have close ties to several Hopkins divisions, it is hoped that the Department will be pluralistic and develop ties to many universities and organizations (the "NIH model.") Dr. Knapp announced that the search for the dean for the Whiting School of Engineering is underway and solicited nominations for candidates.

Remarks by the Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs

Dr. Yager reminded the Advisory Board members that a candidate for the position of chair of the Department of Population and Family Health Sciences is visiting the School. Dr. Griffin, chair of the search committee, reported that many recommendations for the position have been received. Candidates are now being screened and will be invited to visit the School on a rolling basis. She requested feedback on candidates' seminars.

Report of the Faculty Senate

Dr. Rose reported that the Senate is now working on integrating several white papers into one set of recommendations that will be discussed at the next joint Faculty Senate/Committee of the Whole meeting in February 2003.

Other items

Follow up of Report of the Ad Hoc Committee on Behavior and Health

Dr. Zeger began the discussion by reviewing a few concerns about the Report raised at the November Advisory Board meeting, in particular whether the mandate of the proposed new department was too broad. Dr. Zeger commented that subsequent discussions about the Report have met most of the concerns. The core faculty of the new department will be the Social and Behavioral Science faculty presently in the Department of Health Policy and Management, and its initial focus will be to develop a doctoral program(s) that brings together interested faculty from across the School. Dr. Zeger commented that looking at a broad range of candidates will help focus the search process and complement activities now in the School. The support of the other chairs will be crucial to a successful search. Several chairs noted that the chair of a new department should have strong leadership skills.

In response to Dr. Black's question about the vision for the Department, Dr. Zeger remarked that the Institute of Medicine reports on behavior and health provide a solid blueprint for the type of leadership needed by the School in this area.

Dr. Zeger then briefly reviewed the key findings and recommendations of the Report, after which a motion was made, as follows:

The Advisory Board wishes to acknowledge the thoughtful report of the Ad Hoc Committee on Behavior and Health. It looks forward to the School successfully recruiting an outstanding chair to lead a department focused on peoples' behavior, and ways to have behavior positively impact on the population's health. We look forward to the department adding faculty who will strengthen the School's existing expertise in the areas of behavioral theory and methods.

This motion was passed with one abstention.

The search process will commence, and Dr. Zeger will head the search committee.

Faculty Recruitments in International Health, Mental Health, and Biostatistics

Dr. Black reviewed several professorial positions requested by the Department of International Health: an assistant professor in health systems, in the area of institutional change and management (with additional faculty recruited by Health Policy and Management); an assistant or associate professor in social and behavioral interventions; an assistant professor in physical anthropology; an assistant professor in cellular immunology (with Molecular Microbiology and Immunology); and an assistant professor/clinician in infectious disease epidemiology (with Epidemiology). One other position, for a faculty member to study the early origins of disease, will be discussed as part of a larger effort across several departments in the School and is not included in the present discussion.

Dr. Eaton reviewed the four assistant professor positions proposed for the Department of Mental Health: in conduct disorders and violence; in mental health services (with Health Policy and Management); in quantitative methods for Mental Health (with Biostatistics); and in behavioral genetics. He noted that two ongoing searches are now nearing completion in the Department. With the addition of the proposed new positions, the Department hopes it will finally come close to the critical mass it has been striving for.

Dr. Zeger commented that the Department of Biostatistics would like to recruit an assistant professor in the "foundations area" as its top priority but also may seek additional new faculty interested in epidemiology and computer science/bioinformatics in the future.

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 4:25 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Robin Fox

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Last updated 07Feb03 by dgips@jhu.edu