WVU School of Public Health administrator accepts leadership role with national academic public health organization
West Virginia University School of Public Health Senior Associate Dean for Academic, Student and Faculty Affairs Linda Alexander, EdD, will vacate her position to take on a new role: chief academic officer for the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health.
ASPPH is a 501(c)(3) membership organization located in Washington, DC, that serves as the voice of accredited academic public health, serving and leading more than 130 schools and programs accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) as well as leaders in undergraduate public health education.
In her new role, which will be effective at the end of the spring 2022 semester, Alexander will lead programs and initiatives supporting education, accreditation, practice, professional development, workforce development and data.
“Linda has been a tireless advocate for our students, faculty and staff and for addressing the issues of social justice, diversity and inequities across our teaching, research and service missions,” Dean Jeffrey Coben, MD, said. “She has been a wonderful colleague and friend to so many of us over the past six years and will be deeply missed by all who have had the great pleasure of working with her. At the School of Public Health, she leaves a legacy that includes a premier Office of Academic and Student Affairs with a team that she both selected and mentored.
“Although we are saddened that she will no longer be among our full-time faculty, we are delighted that our national public health association has recognized her many talents and that she will now be able to exert those skills at the national level.”
Alexander joined the School of Public Health in March 2016, bringing her then-25 years’ experience in working in and for underrepresented communities that helped shape her expertise in culture’s influence on health behavior. In addition to serving as chair of the School of Public Health Diversity Task Force, she serves on the Health Sciences Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council. Over the years, she has led diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and served as presenter and panelist for a number of regional and national organizations and events, in addition to within the University community.
“My time at the WVU School of Public Health has prepared me well for this pivotal transition,” said Alexander, who also serves as professor in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences. “As I reviewed the position description for chief academic officer, I immediately recognized that my time here has been a training ground for the role. As a member of Dean Coben’s Senior Leadership team, I have enjoyed unwavering support for executive decision-making and strategic planning and thrived in a culture and climate built on trust and transparency.”
Alexander, who has been affiliated with ASPPH in an academic capacity since 2005 through her work at two CEPH-accredited schools and, more recently, as co-chair for the ASPPH Task Force on Zero Tolerance of Harassment and Discrimination, has accumulated a wealth of experience that will serve her well in the new role.
“I’ve had the privilege of collaborating on projects relevant to masters- and doctoral-level competencies, interprofessional education, and development of cultural competence curricula in schools of medicine and public health,” she said. “The cumulative knowledge gained from colleagues and peers during these 16 years has proved invaluable in understanding the breadth of academic public health and the reach of this organization.”
Serving as the organization’s chief facilitator of new initiatives that emerge from the ASPPH Strategic Plan 2030, Alexander will work with ASPPH members and various stakeholders, including academic, practice, national and global partner organizations and institutions to enhance educational excellence to prepare and strengthen the public health workforce – something she considers a “career milestone.”
“In the near future, we’ll share details about the succession plan for her position,” Dr. Coben said. “Meantime, we are also thrilled that Linda will maintain an adjunct faculty appointment within our School and help us make even stronger connections throughout the region and nation in this new role."
-WVU-
nl/12/10/21
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