Dr. Jennifer Bachner, an expert in health data analytics, instructional technology and more, has joined the University of Maryland School of Public Health as its associate dean of academic affairs.
Bachner, a UMD alumna, will play a vital role in providing leadership, strategic direction and oversight of the SPH graduate programs. Her responsibilities will include academic leadership, curriculum development and assessment, and oversight of graduate student affairs, among other areas.
In addition to her duties as associate dean, Bachner will serve as a clinical professor in the SPH Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics.
“I am thrilled to return to my alma mater, the University of Maryland, at this critical time in the field of public health,” Bachner said. “It is an honor to work alongside preeminent scholars and colleagues to shape the future of the diverse practice areas our programs support and to inspire the next generation of leaders to make meaningful impacts in their communities.”
Bachner comes to College Park from Johns Hopkins University, where she was the director of the Center for Data Analytics, Policy, and Government, leading a suite of graduate programs and providing oversight of admissions, new course development, and faculty and student affairs, among other responsibilities. Previously, she developed and led Hopkins’s Data Analytics and Policy Program, among other roles.
Bachner is also an author of several books on state and national governance, most recently Warping Time: How Contending Political Forces Manipulate the Past, Present and Future, with Benjamin Ginsberg (2023). She has bachelor’s degrees in government and politics and in secondary social studies education from UMD and a doctorate in government from Harvard University.
“Dr. Bachner’s impressive vision for graduate education and her expertise in innovative approaches to learning and use of technology make her a great fit for our school. We are delighted to have her onboard,” said Dean Boris Lushniak. “In her clear commitment to robust scholarship and deep devotion to student learning and leadership, Dr. Bachner embodies the hallmarks of our school. With her onboard, we will continue to grow fearlessly forward.”