The University of Maryland School of Public Health has named Dr. Kerry Green as the new interim chair of the Department of Behavioral and Community Health (BCH), effective December 31, 2023.
As interim chair, Dr. Green will provide academic and strategic leadership and advance the teaching, research, service and outreach missions of the department and School of Public Health. She will succeed Dr. Craig Fryer, who has graciously served as interim chair for more than two years.
Dr. Green earned her doctoral degree from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She joined the University of Maryland School of Public Health in 2007.
A professor and prevention scientist, Dr. Green is known for her efforts to improve the health and wellbeing of disadvantaged populations. She identifies causes of adverse outcomes over the life course among urban African Americans, including structural factors. Among her most significant research: the Woodlawn Study, a community cohort study that began in 1965 and includes data spanning 55 years of the cohort’s lives with funding from NIDA, NIA and NICHD.
Dr. Green is also director of the BCH Undergraduate Honors Program, where she provides undergraduates with opportunities to engage in challenging educational experiences related to the social and behavioral aspects of public health.
In her new role as interim chair, she will pay particular attention to continued excellence in training the next generation of public health practitioners and researchers, as well as increasing research funding and community partnerships.
“Our department is composed of amazing, hard-working, creative and caring people, and I hope to fearlessly lead them as we continue together to define the department’s mission and realize its vision,” she said. “I want BCH to be a place where people love to work, strive to learn, care about one another and make an impact.”
“I am confident Dr. Green is the right leader for the department at this time of transition and innovation,” said Dean Boris Lushniak. “Her vision for continued excellence will serve as a strong foundation for the incredible group of behavioral and community health faculty, staff and students.”