Dr. Jha Leaves Brown

Dr. Jha Leaves Brown

Dr. Ashish K. Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, will depart Brown at the end of the calendar year.

It was big news when he left Harvard to join Brown five years ago. Now his loss, coupled with the departure of Dr. Megan Ranney, who left to go to Yale in 2023, is a big hit to Brown University. Both Jha and Ranney have national reputations.

Jha leaves to lead an initiative that aims to bolster the nation’s defenses against emerging pandemics and biological threats. The initiative builds on work he started at the White House while on leave from the University in 2022 and has further cultivated during his time at Brown. 

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Brown Provost Francis J. Doyle III said that while Jha’s leadership will be missed at the School of Public Health, he is embarking on exciting work that will have an impact far beyond the University. 

“As the U.S. and other nations have continued to witness the impact of avian flu, mpox, COVID-19 and other infectious diseases, Ashish’s work can bring scientists, policymakers and organizations together to develop solutions to confront a new era of biological threats,” Doyle said. “This work holds the potential to connect directly with the pioneering work in Brown’s School of Public Health to advance pandemic preparedness and response.”

Jha was appointed to lead the School of Public Health (SPH) in February 2020, weeks before COVID-19 grew to a major public health crisis for the United States. He began his tenure as dean in September 2020, and under his leadership, SPH has experienced a period of growth and expansion. In Fall 2023, SPH expanded into 155 South Main St., which now houses the school’s Mindfulness Center; Survey, Qualitative and Applied Data Research Core; and Hassenfeld Child Health Innovation Institute. 

The school also opened an office in Washington, D.C., in 2024, contributing to the national impact of the Pandemic Center that launched in 2022. The new presence in the capital complements the work of other research units dedicated to driving policy changes as the school has continued to build upon its tradition of research excellence by tackling some of the most pressing public health issues facing society. 

In addition to biosecurity and pandemic preparedness, the school has increased its influence in the areas of climate change and public health, health policy reform, and overdose prevention. Jha has recruited world-class faculty with expertise across many of these areas, in addition to building the school’s work in global health and information disorders.