Jamaican-born, Michelle Williams, who serves as chair of the epidemiology department at the T.H. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard University, has been appointed to be the next dean of the school. When she starts in her new position in July 2016, she will be the first black person to head up a Harvard faculty. She has been the Stephen B. Kay Family Professor of Public Health and epidemiology chair since 2011, researching the integration of genomic sciences and epidemiological methods to find risk factors, diagnostic markers, treatments, and prevention strategies for disorders that contribute to the mortality of mothers and infants. According to Williams, public health has an impact on all parts of life and the potential to mitigate disparities in health. Public health complements medical health care delivery, providing an infrastructure for management, reduction, and mitigation of emerging infections, changes in lifestyle, or changes in the environment.
