Bloomberg School of Public Health
Advisory Board Meeting Minutes
Thursday, February 28, 2008 | 3 p.m. | 928th Meeting

Members Absent: Drs. William Brody, Robert Black, Ron Brookmeyer, Laura Caulfield, Edward Miller, and James Yager.

Guests: Drs. Janet DiPietro and Michael Trush, and Mss. Diane Glover and Alexandra McKeown.

Meeting convened: Provost Kristina Johnson convened the meeting at 3 p.m.

Approval of the Minutes: Minutes of the 927th Advisory Board meeting of January 31, 2008 were approved as submitted.

Remarks by the Provost

Provost Johnson reported that one of the key members of her new leadership team is Dr. Scott Zeger, who will be joining her office as vice provost for research on March 1. One of his major responsibilities will be to help design and coordinate a new University-wide strategic plan. Dr. Johnson indicated the plan will be approached in much the same way as a National Research Council Report, focused on findings, recommendations, and challenges. Dr. Zeger will share the responsibility for the strategic plan with the two other new vice provosts, Drs. Michela Gallagher and Jonathan Bagger. Several faculty-led committees will be convened and will be staffed by the three new vice provosts; members of the Advisory Board were asked to send recommendations for strategic planning committee members to Dr. Zeger. The final draft of the plan will be completed within 15 months in preparation for approval at the July 2009 Board of Trustees meeting. The strategic plan will also help drive the next University fund-raising campaign.

Remarks by the Dean

Dean Klag expressed his thanks to Dr. Zeger for taking on the critical role of vice provost for research and continuing to improve University leadership in this area. Dr. Zeger looks forward to the academic leadership Dr. Johnson will provide and is excited to be part of her team.

Dr. Klag thanked the members of the Advisory Board for joining the reception in honor of Dr. Peter Agre's return to Johns Hopkins to lead the Malaria Research Institute; Dr. Agre was touched by the warm welcome. Dr. Klag also thanked Dr. Griffin on behalf of the Advisory Board and the School for her impressive leadership of the MRI since its founding in 2001. Dr. Klag then announced that Dr. Lynn Goldman has informed Dr. Klag that she plans to step down from the leadership of the Interdepartmental Program in Applied Public Health in June 2008 to focus on the National Children's Study. Not directly related, the search for the associate dean for public health practice, which was initiated a year ago, will be re-initiated. A search committee chaired by Dr. David Holtgrave will conduct a focused, internal search. Dr. Klag thanked Dr. Holtgrave in advance of the search.

Dr. Klag reported that he has signed the umbrella agreement on behalf of the School with the Health Authority of Abu Dhabi. The first project under the agreement will be the DrPH/MPH in healthcare management and leadership for students from the United Arab Emirates. Dr. Morlock will head this project, which will start in the next 6-9 months with 20 students in the first cohort. The program will be a combination of Baltimore-based, on-line and Abu Dhabi-based instruction. Other projects will be added. Dr. Klag noted that the agreement will greatly help the School in its F&A projections and will provide resources to all departments. In addition, there is an acute need for public health infrastructure and public health education throughout the Middle East.

Report of the Faculty Senate

Dr. Gange reported that the February Faculty Senate meeting included a discussion with the senior leadership of HopkinsOne, where faculty had the opportunity to ask questions and hear about when the system may improve. A faculty member who works with animals brought to the attention of the Faculty Senate a questionnaire that is being required of all faculty, staff, and students who work with animals. While the stated intent of the questionnaire is to assess exposure to animals outside the work environment, potential respondents have expressed concern about the intrusive nature of many of the questions as well as its non-confidentiality. The questionnaire also states that it is required in order to work with animals. Despite several inquiries, no one is taking responsibility for it, and it is not certain if IRB clearance was needed or sought. Provost Johnson asked Dr. Zeger to follow up on this and thanked the Faculty Senate for bringing it to her attention. Dr. Louis raised a concern about the vetting process for University-wide questionnaires among faculty, staff, and students, including the Benefits Office questionnaire that raised concerns a few months ago.

Other Business

Revisions of Policy and Procedure Memorandum Faculty #9 Policy on Ownership and Use of Educational Materials

Ms. McKeown reviewed the revised PPM, which was modified to clarify several questions raised at the January Advisory Board meeting. Among the clarifications was to use the terminology "copyrightable materials" rather than "educational materials." The "Reservation of Rights" that faculty can use as part of their publication agreements has been amended to specify that those rights are reserved for submission of publications resulting from NIH awards for NIH-required public archiving. The revisions were approved by a vote of the Advisory Board.

Proposed change from MHS degree in Health Finance and Management to MHA degree

Dr. MacKenzie reviewed the request of the Department of Health Policy and Management to change the name of the degree offered for the present Master of Health Science (MHS) in Health Finance and Management to a Master of Health Administration (MHA) degree. The change is to be more consistent with the program's national competitors; however the admission, program, and graduation requirements are unchanged. According to the Provost's office, the Maryland Higher Education Commission will need to be informed of the change, but approval is not required. The new degree was approved by a vote of the Advisory Board.

Revisions of Policy and Procedure Memorandum Students #5 Postdoctoral Fellows Policy Guidelines and Procedures

Ms. Fox briefly commented on the changes in the Postdoctoral Fellow PPM, which will bring the policy into compliance with current practice. The revisions were approved by a vote of the Advisory Board.

Revisions of Policy and Procedure Memorandum Academic Programs #10 Master of Science Degree

Ms. Fox commented on the changes proposed in the Master of Science PPM, which will bring the policy into compliance with current practice. The revisions were approved by a vote of the Advisory Board.

Other items

Provost Johnson noted that the JHU Board of Trustees will be asked to review a proposal from President Brody's office for the "Mosaic Faculty Initiative" that will provide University funds to recruit and support women, under-represented, and faculty of color. The initiative is expected to allocate $1 million per year for five years. Nominations will be from department chairs through deans for salary and/or start up funds for tenure-track faculty, enabling the divisions to better recruit the best faculty and expand diversity. Dr. Johnson indicated that donor matching funds will also be solicited. The definition of "under-represented" will be flexible and will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 5 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Robin Fox

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