Letter From the Dean

After 16 years as dean of the wonderful Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, I plan to conclude my service in June 2025 and focus on my role as a faculty member and director of the Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center. It has been my privilege to lead this remarkable institution and to help advance our community’s shared mission to build a healthy and just world.

I feel honored to have played a role in our School’s trailblazing history. For more than a century, the School has educated public health leaders, conducted groundbreaking science, and developed innovative solutions to protect and improve population health. Today, Columbia Mailman School leads in taking on the most pressing global public health challenges, including health inequities, the climate crisis, environmental threats to health, emerging infectious diseases, violence, the need for healthy longevity, and much more.

Since its founding, our School has been deeply intertwined with and dedicated to population health in New York City and the greater region. Over the years, hundreds of our graduates have gone to work for our city’s agencies and initiatives; two School deans have also served as commissioner of health of the city; and our faculty, staff, and students have conducted research, served on commissions, implemented programs, and more, throughout the city. Our latest endeavor, the Community Health Equity Collaborative, profiled in our cover story (page 16), will further strengthen our partnerships and contributions in Northern Manhattan and across our beloved city.

Telling our School’s stories through this magazine is always a highlight of my year. One of the magazine’s goals is to engage our amazing network of alumni, donors, and friends who create meaningful change around the world. Thank you for your continued support of our School. And to all of our alumni, faculty, staff, and students: I am grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of your professional journey and our School’s significant contributions to the public’s health.

Wishing you good health,
Dean Linda P. Fried, MD, MPH