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Dear colleagues, As we move toward the end of the fall semester and look forward to the spring, it is a fitting time to provide an update on the status of Wayne State University’s exploration of a potential school dedicated to advancing urban public health. In agreement with the School of Public Health Exploratory Committee's (SPHEC) recommendation to establish a path toward an accredited school of public health at Wayne State University, I want to express my support for the important work ahead to further this initiative. In fact, I believe our history of deep engagement in our urban community, particularly in matters of health and health education, makes Wayne State the ideal university to pursue this endeavor. Since our founding as a medical college in 1868, Wayne State University has always played a vital role in the education and health of Detroiters. Addressing the challenges of our region's persistent disparities in key health outcomes will require a coordinated university approach to public health and the participation and leadership of our faculty, particularly with the impressive array of educational, research and community-based efforts across our schools and colleges. To continue exploration of this initiative, a forum that included faculty and academic staff was convened yesterday, Nov. 30, by Acting Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Laurie M. Lauzon Clabo, Ph.D., RN, FAAN. I want to personally thank Vice President of Health Affairs Mark Schweitzer, M.D., and the SPHEC for their visioning work, which helped get this initiative started. Committee members dedicated a considerable amount of their time, not to mention their expertise, to lead this initial assessment on the feasibility for a possible school of public health to serve the needs of Detroit and the surrounding communities. Consistent with the recommendations of the SPHEC, my role will now be to lead the team that includes Director of State Affairs David Greco, Acting Provost Clabo, Vice President of Development and Alumni Affairs David Ripple, Senior Vice President of Finance and Business Operations David Massaron, and the Business Affairs team to procure much-needed financial resources and develop the financial structures and space resources to support this effort. We will explore a range of partnership opportunities, including academic, clinical and governmental agencies, as this work will positively impact all aspects of our community. Dr. Schweitzer now will largely focus his efforts on spearheading the next phase of preliminary academic planning for the school, in collaboration with Acting Provost Clabo and other Academic Affairs leaders, as well as various campus partners that include deans and individual faculty experts. We expect these efforts will require a considerable time commitment over the coming months if we are to meet our goals to stay on track. As a key anchor institution of the city of Detroit, one engaged deeply in the community and the lives and welfare of its residents, Wayne State University continues to find new ways in which to engage. I believe this new health sciences endeavor represents a next logical step forward to align our academic, clinical and research missions that will so greatly benefit our students, our patients and our city. As we move forward, we are creating a website to provide ongoing updates to the campus community about the planning process, including a listing of the committee structure and membership, planning timeline, and campus updates. The initial web content will be live in the next week. I look forward to the future outcomes from the efforts in this next phase and will continue to keep you updated on our progress in the weeks and months ahead.
Kimberly Andrews Espy, Ph.D.
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