MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN

Iarrived in Memphis on the first of August 2022 in the official capacity as the Dean of the School of Public Health at the University of Memphis. I came with the fervent desire and firm conviction to contribute positively to the community that I was going to be a part of.

Today, I am proud to share with you the inaugural issue of the University of Memphis, School of Public Health REAIM (Research, Entrepreneurship, Analytics, Informatics and Management) Public Health IDEAS Newsletter, which describes the diverse, collaborative culture of our school. We aspire to make this school a place that will be able to provide the much needed solutions to the public health challenges through its public health interventions, programs and policies. These will support community health efforts at multiple levels of participation: at the student level, faculty level and through community engagement.

This inaugural issue is aimed to highlight some of the many activities organized by the School of Public Health. The aim of these activities is to advance public health knowledge through educational excellence and innovative and scholarly research. Additionally, to prepare a community of learners and leaders that will be able to contribute toward the improvement of the health and well-being of populations in the city of Memphis, the state of Tennessee, nationally, and around the world.

We are also pleased to share with you some of the notable achievements of our faculty, students and alumni. They have been applying their learning to support the work of community partners. By presenting their work at both local and national levels, they are contributing to the advancement of public health.

The articles in this issue also talk about the efforts the school is making to advance academic health equity along with highlighting the grant awarded to the school by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. These articles bring about the ethos of the school and delineate how it is integrating diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) into its culture and operations.

Lastly, we share with you the REAIM Public Health IDEAS through the lens of the Youth Initiative as an approach that provides high school youth an opportunity to have access and exposure to public health education early on in their studies.

I keenly look forward to working with you all to Reimagining Population Health IDEAS through the lens of inclusivity, diversity, equity, accessibility and sustainability. Together, we as a community can expand the horizon of possibilities for the

Ashish Joshi, PhD, MBBS, MPH Dean & Distinguished University Professor

OUR MISSION:

To produce the next generation of interdisciplinary public health leaders who can influence population health.

Using the expertise of faculty and academic practice partners, promote health equity through innovation and excellence in interdisciplinary education, research, service and community engagement.