Bloomberg School of Public Health
Advisory Board Meeting Minutes
Thursday, December 21, 2006 | 3:00 p.m. | 915th Meeting

Members Absent: Drs. William Brody, Martha Hill, Edward Miller, and Scott Zeger.

Guests: Drs. Kay Dickersin, Sharon Krag, Susan MacDonald, Guy McKhann, Neil Powe, and Bruce Trock; and Professor Stephen Teret.

Meeting convened: Provost Steven Knapp convened the meeting at 3 pm.

Approval of the Minutes: Minutes of the 914th Advisory Board meeting of November 30, 2006 were approved.

Remarks by the Provost

Provost Knapp commented on the recent announcement of the separation of Business and Education into two distinct University divisions. He noted that part-time education has a long history at Johns Hopkins. Several existing programs originated in an "evening college" that hosted a wide variety of academic programs over the years. Dr. Knapp reviewed a number of the most salient reasons for separating the Business program from the School of Education, which will retain several programs, including public safety and leadership. The new entity is a product of the maturation of the Business program along with interest by a philanthropist in supporting its formation. Dr. Knapp reported that Dr. David Nichols will chair the search committee for the new dean for the new Carey School of Business while Dr. Pam Cranston will serve as acting dean in the interim. Dr. Ralph Fessler will retain his deanship of the School of Education.

Dr. Knapp reported that the Carey Business School will develop a small full-time MBA program but that the large part-time program will be retained. The School plans to develop a niche by attracting undergraduates directly into an accelerated MBA program, an unusual model that has engendered much enthusiasm. In response to a question about the goals of the School and the quality of its instruction, Dr. Knapp commented that the new School's initial goal is to more fully develop the quality and strength of the faculty and academic programs before seeking accreditation and before the School can be competitively ranked.

The Maryland Legislative session will be starting soon. Dr. Knapp will serve on incoming Governor O'Malley's Higher Education Transition Team and indicated that the new administration seems to be supportive of Johns Hopkins.

Remarks by the Dean Dean Klag announced that Provost Knapp will leave John Hopkins to become president of George Washington University on August 1, 2007. Dr. Knapp has a thorough understanding and deep appreciation of the Bloomberg School of Public Health and will be very much missed. The Advisory Board applauded Dr. Knapp and wished him the best. Dr. Knapp expressed admiration for the School, the strength and commonality of its mission, and the commitment of the faculty to its mission. He acknowledged the major progress the School has made, including new and improved space and an increased scope of its international outreach.

Dr. Klag thanked Dr. Goldman in advance for representing the School at a symposium in China on planning and preparedness for pandemic influenza. He then noted that the School will participate in the University response to an RFP from Ft. Detrick.

Dr. Yager briefly reported on his successful trip to Asia, where he met with School alumni in India, visited study sites in Bangladesh, and investigated partnerships and teaching opportunities in Singapore. He reported on a number of interesting models for developing a presence in Singapore and commented that he will discuss this with a number of faculty over the next several months. Dr. Knapp commented on the relationships between Johns Hopkins, including Peabody and Johns Hopkins Medicine, and entities in Singapore. Some models have been successful while others have not.

Report of the Faculty Senate

Dr. Louis reported that the main focus of the remainder of the 2006-2007 academic year will be on Faculty Senate involvement in the Strategic Planning process. The Senate is also interested in continuing the discussions about improved faculty recruitment and retention with a focus on minority and women faculty, and about electronic submission of grants.

Dr. Klag then reported that he recently met with several of the School's African-American faculty to seek their suggestions to increase recruitment of minority students. A number of interesting ideas were put forward. Dr. Klag will summarize the suggestions and share them with the department chairs.

Other Business

Report of the Welch Center Review Committee

Dr. McKhann, representing the Committee to Review the Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology and Clinical Research, introduced the other members of the Review Committee who were present, including Drs. Dickersin and Trock and Ms. Fox. Dr. Powe, director the Welch Center, and Dr. MacDonald, representing the Department of Medicine, were also present. Dr. McKhann commented on the Welch Center's (WC) strong record of achievement in education and research, noting that it is the prototype for interdivisional collaboration and bridging between the Schools of Public Health and Medicine. The Review Committee, along with the external experts who participated in the review process, expressed the highest regard for the WC's accomplishments.

Early in its tenure, the WC was the only organized clinical research group at Johns Hopkins, but now a number of other groups and departments engage in clinical research. Whether and how the WC adapts to the needs of and interacts with other groups, and grows in new areas, was a critical focus of the Review Committee's deliberations. Dr. McKhann noted that the WC can expand its scope and influence under a variety of different models; by spinning off smaller groups; by developing joint appointments in other departments; and/or by developing associate members who are allied to the WC's mission, research and training.

While there are opportunities for WC expansion, Dr. McKhann also reported that an anonymous survey conducted as part of the review process indicated that only about half of the Welch Center faculty, trainees, and staff want the WC to grow larger than its present size, in order to preserve its unique collegiality.

Among the recommendations of the Review Committee are that national searches should be conducted for all WC faculty, that the WC consider becoming an "incubator" to develop associate members who can work in other clinical areas while retaining strong intellectual ties to the WC, and that a number of concerns related to WC administration and budgeting be resolved. A small core budget, poor interface between the Schools of Medicine and Public Health for administrative issues, need for better day-to-day management, and other infrastructure problems must be resolved to enable the WC to continue to retain its high level of productivity under Dr. Powe's outstanding leadership. The WC Review Committee believes these issues are primarily logistic in nature and are solvable, however the Departments of Epidemiology and Medicine will need to be substantially involved in their solutions.

Dr. Samet commented that historically the WC developed a unique niche between the two schools but that it has now grown to the point where it may need a different type of support. Presently, the Department of Epidemiology provides salary support for some WC faculty and staff, and supports WC students, while the Department of Medicine provides support in a different way. Dr. MacDonald commented that the Department of Medicine wants to increase the support for and improve the administration of the WC. Dr. Black suggested that administrative functions could be consolidated in one School and department; the School presently has several models of centers that serve multiple divisions of the University but are located in one division and academic department.

By way of follow-up, the Deans and relevant department chairs will meet with Dr. Powe to resolve some of the pressing administrative issues and to determine a steadier funding stream that the WC can use to strengthen the WC infrastructure.

The WC Review Committee also recommended improved coordination among the clinical research training programs in the Schools of Medicine and Public Health, including those of the WC and several other groups. Dr. Powe was very amenable to this recommendation and stated that he has already begun a number of efforts in this direction.

Dr. McKhann commented that the review process, including the anonymous survey of WC faculty, staff and trainees, a visiting committee, and a half day retreat of WC affiliates, were well-received and provided useful information in an efficient manner. Ms. Fox noted that the WC Review was the first conducted under the new procedures adopted by the School Advisory Board in 2006.

After further discussion, the Advisory board thanked the members of the WC Review committee for their thoughtful report and recommendations.

Recruitment of a tenure-track member in the Department of Epidemiology without conducting a search

Dr. Samet reviewed the Department's desire to recruit a faculty member working on modeling infectious diseases. Dr. Brookmeyer noted that in light of the School's vision to expand in emerging infections, the process of a national search could be helpful for faculty and students who are working in the area and would also sharpen our vision for a plan for this area. Dr. Klag commented that it would be most appropriate to search for a senior faculty before hiring junior faculty and Dr. Louis noted that hiring a tenure-track faculty member without a search automatically closes the position to women and minority candidates. Several members of the Advisory Board commented on whether this position rises to the level of the rare "target of opportunity" recruitment that might be filled without a national search; other members asked whether this area is strategically important enough to recruit at the junior level without a search, despite the fine credentials of the proposed candidate. After extended discussion, Dr. Klag will continue to consider Dr. Samet's request.

Proposal to modify the current MHS program of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Dr. Brown reviewed the Department's plan to modify the MHS program in Reproductive Biology presently offered into an MHS in Reproductive and Cancer Biology. He reported that the program tends to attract students interested in pursuing medical or graduate school and recruits primarily graduating college seniors, in particular Homewood undergraduates. The program offers a core basic science curriculum and exposure to public health. Proposed changes in the program include a modest expansion of the curriculum, an increase in the number of faculty instructors and advisors, and a change in the name of the program. Dr. Groopman indicated that the Division of Cancer Biology in the School of Medicine might be interested in learning about or participating in the MHS program. After further discussion, the revised program was approved by the Advisory Board and will be appropriately forwarded to the Provost's Office.

The Advisory Board meeting ended with a toast honoring Dr. Knapp. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 5:15 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Robin Fox

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