Bloomberg School of Public Health
Advisory Board Meeting Minutes
Thursday, June 26, 2003 | 3:00 p.m. | 874th Meeting

Members Absent: Dr. William Brody, Robert Black, Bernard Guyer, Martha Hill, Edward Miller, Jonathan Samet, Donald Steinwachs, and Jonathan Weiner.

Guests: Drs. Charles Boult, Pearl German, Thomas Glass, Sharon Krag, Laura Morlock, Cecile Pickart, and George Rebok; and Ms Diane Glover.

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

Approval of the Minutes: Minutes of the 872nd meeting on May 15, 2003 and 873rd meeting on May 20, 2003 were approved.

Remarks by the Provost

Dr. Knapp reported that the search for the dean of the Whiting School of Engineering is nearing completion, and that three finalist candidates have been identified. An interim dean will probably be appointed to serve from July 2003 through the starting date of the new dean in early 2004. A search for the key position of University Vice President and General Counsel is now underway. Mrs. Fishbein is expected to stay at her position until her replacement has been identified. A search for the Vice President of Human Resources is also underway. Dr. Knapp acknowledged the positive impact of Mrs. Smith's tenure on Human Resources at the University with increased emphasis on training and worklife programs. He further noted that a number of practices initiated by the School have been adopted by the University broadly, such as analytic methods to examine salaries.

The final outcome of cuts in the Sellinger Program funds is not yet known, although the Program has experienced significant cuts in the past 2 years. Dr. Knapp reported that the University has budgeted for some cuts, and expressed concerns about the continuing commitment to the University of monies from the Tobacco Restitution Fund. Dr. Knapp reported on a sobering meeting with the Governor and Lieutenant Governor, where the financial pressures in the State were made clear.

Other items

Faculty Reappointments for 2003-04

The list of faculty reappointments for 2003-04 was approved with several changes.

Report from the Ad Hoc Committee to Review Aging Training at the School

Drs. Charles Boult, Pearl German, Thomas Glass, and George Rebok joined the Advisory Board. By way of background, the Management Committee charged a group of faculty, headed by Dr. Glass, with convening an ad hoc committee to investigate improving aging training in the School from the perspectives of multiple disciplines and departments. Dr. Glass described how the curriculum on aging was evaluated.

The faculty involved in teaching in this area determined that the curriculum was strong, but could be made more visible with improved coherence and coordination. Dr. Glass reported that the University is a natural leader in this area, based on existing courses and training grants. There are several centers that already link numerous disciplines and several divisions of the University together around aging.

Dr. Glass then reviewed the requirements of the Gerontology Certificate Program. He noted that the program had been in existence for at least 10 years and that program revisions were recently approved by the School-wide Committee on Academic Standards. He went on to describe several topic areas not currently offered that would strengthen aging training in the School, including course work in: genetics of aging; measurement in aging research; clinical trials involving aging; and nutrition and aging. The multidisciplinary approach taken by Public Health faculty to study the problems of older populations is an appropriate one, and links to the new Department of "Behavior and Health" are also likely to be beneficial. Identification of School- wide resources, priorities for fund-raising, and oversight by a University-wide standing committee also were recommended by the Ad Hoc Committee.

In response to a question, Dr. Glass commented that six departments are involved in the Gerontology Certificate Program, which is designed to appeal to students receiving training in one of many disciplines who have an interest in aging research. An applied gerontology certificate program would also be well-received.

After further discussion, Dr. Sommer thanked Dr. Glass and the members of the Ad Hoc Committee. The Ad Hoc Committee Report contains a number of specific recommendations that will be considered by the deans and department chairs in the fall. Among these recommendations are: a) the need for an Aging "Czar" to coordinate programmatic developments across the School; b) the need for a standing School-wide committee to oversee aging training; and c) the need for strategic discussions about how to better integrate aging research and training into ongoing activities.

Part-time DrPH Program in Health Policy and Management

Dr. Morlock joined the Advisory Board. She reviewed the key features of the part-time DrPH program that will be offered in Health Care Management and Leadership. The program was recently approved by the Committee on Academic Standards following 2 years of development. The program targets student with masters degrees who have the MPH core, have management- related course work, and are employees of a small number of partnering organizations. She reviewed the curriculum and dissertation requirement of 2 special projects. Program faculty will include full-time and part-time faculty, and work place mentors. The program is explicitly part-time and activities include course work, activities in the work place, and "bridging" activities that bring together the School and the work place. Initially, the program will be open to students in the local area who are employees of three partnering organizations.

Dr. Sommer noted that the DrPH program is now in flux. A new director will be named who will take the next 6-9 months to revise and plan an improved curriculum, as well as to develop a DrPH Executive Board that will function in a manner similar to the MPH Executive Board. The present DrPH director will handle day-to-day matters for the next 6 months. Dr. Sommer then announced that Dr. Guyer will become DrPH Program Director as of September 1, 2003, and that Dr. Morlock has agreed to serve as DrPH Associate Director.

The present full-time DrPH program and innovative part-time DrPH program developed by the Department of Health Policy and Management will be fully integrated. The part-time program may serve also as a model for interdigitation with applied/professional MHS programs. Dr. Morlock noted that maintaining close relationships between partnering organizations and the School is key for this program as the work place becomes, in effect, an extension of the School. School faculty will be able to learn a great deal from partnering organizations as well.

After further discussion, the Advisory Board thanked Dr. Morlock for sharing information on this innovative new program.

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 5:15 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Robin Fox

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Last updated 23Jul03 by dgips@jhu.edu