New Director for Pitt Center for Public Health Practice
Pittsburgh, PA (PRWEB) May 17, 2017 -- The University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health has selected Wendy Elizabeth Braund, M.D., M.P.H., M.S.Ed., F.A.C.P.M., as the new director of its Center for Public Health Practice and associate dean for public health practice. She will join the school’s faculty as a professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management.
Braund, who has a strong history in public health administration, most recently served as state health officer and public health division administrator for the Wyoming Department of Health. She will join Pitt Public Health on July 1.
“Dr. Braund is a leader in public health practice and preventive medicine on a national stage, and we are proud to have her guide our efforts to move public health research and policy into practical application,” said Donald S. Burke, M.D., Pitt Public Health dean and UPMC-Jonas Salk chair of global health. “She is a dynamic and innovative practitioner with extensive experience in public service and policy. I am confident she will craft and lead a strategic vision for the center’s future and continue to build on regional collaborations to improve population health.”
Pitt Public Health’s Center for Public Health Practice was established in 1995 with a mission of linking academia with professional public health practice to contribute to better health for all Pennsylvanians. The center has a strong focus on education and runs or provides support for programs that train public health practitioners in the latest best practices for their professional fields. It also places dozens of master’s and doctoral students in internships with public health agencies annually.
“The Center for Public Health Practice at Pitt Public Health is an invaluable resource for state and local health regulators, public health organizations, emergency responders and other public health practitioners,” said Braund. “I’m excited to lead the center in new and innovative ways to bring research and practice together for the betterment of public health, while continuing the fantastic work its faculty, staff and partners perform every day.”
Prior to the Wyoming Department of Health, Braund was with the U.S. Health Resources & Services Administration and served as chief of the Public Health Branch and acting chief of the Geriatrics and Allied Health Branch.
Braund earned her M.D. from the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine and completed a residency in preventive medicine at Johns Hopkins University. She earned her M.P.H. at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and also earned degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and Duke University. She completed the executive education program for state health leaders at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
She serves on the Board of Regents of the American College of Preventive Medicine, as a trustee of the American Board of Preventive Medicine, and as a representative to the American Medical Association Section Council on Preventive Medicine, among other appointments. Since 2013 she has been a site reviewer on the Council on Education for Public Health.
Gerald Barron, M.P.H., has served as acting director of the Pitt Public Health Center for Public Health Practice for the past two years. He will continue as deputy director of the center, director of the M.P.H. program in Pitt Public Health’s Department of Health Policy and Management, and associate professor of health policy and management, and behavioral and community health sciences.
“Under Gerry’s stewardship, the center built and maintained strong relationships with state governments in our region, developed its faculty and enhanced its training programs,” said Burke. “We all thank him for his service.”
Allison Hydzik, UPMC, +1 412-647-9975, [email protected]
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