Vice, Associate, and Assistant Deans
Joel I. Bolling, MA
Assistant Dean for Inclusion, Diversity, Anti-Racism & Equity
Bolling is responsible for advancing the diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies for the Bloomberg School. He works collaboratively to increase the recruitment, retention, and mentorship of faculty and students from underrepresented and underserved backgrounds. He coordinates initiatives to ensure that all students, post doctorates, faculty, staff, alumni, community members and all people who engage with the Bloomberg School are valued, respected, and nurtured, inclusive of their identities. Prior to joining the Bloomberg School, Bolling supported diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice efforts at various higher education institutions, most recently Towson University.
David Dowdy, MD, PhD ’08, ScM ’02
Vice Dean for Education
Working closely with Executive Vice Dean Stuart, Dowdy is responsible for keeping the School at the forefront of public health education. This includes coordination and improvement of academic programs (both Schoolwide and departmental), maintenance of academic standards and accreditation, and incubation and development of new educational programs and partnerships. He is also a professor in Epidemiology, with joint appointments in International Health and the School of Medicine.
Heath Elliott, MEd, MBA
Associate Dean for Development and Alumni Relations
Elliott oversees fundraising, alumni and donor relations activities for the Bloomberg School. Prior to this role, he served as the School’s senior director of Development and Alumni Relations for four years. Before joining the Bloomberg School, Elliott spent 14 years in various fundraising roles at Pomona College and Harvey Mudd College.
Jackson Ireland, MPA, MBA
Executive Vice Dean for Finance and Administration
Ireland is responsible for strategically leading, planning and organizing the financial and administrative functions of the School. Prior to coming to the School, he served as CFO and Vice President for Corporate Finance and Administration at the Population Council, Inc., a non-profit research organization. Before that, Ireland served as CFO and Director of Finance and Administration at the Partnership for Supply Chain Management, a global consortium that manages procurement and logistics for public health programs in the developing world.
Katherine Parris Frey, PhD, MPH '00, MS, RN
Assistant Dean for Strategic Initiatives
Frey coordinated the development of the dean’s strategic plan and is responsible for facilitating new initiatives that emerge from the plan. She is also an associate scientist in Health Policy and Management and associate director of the Major Extremity Trauma Research Consortium (METRC).
Gregory D. Kirk, MD, PhD ’03, MPH ’95
Vice Dean for Research
Kirk provides leadership for research strategy and related initiatives for the School. He serves as the Institutional Official with operational oversight for the Institutional Review Board. His other responsibilities broadly include monitoring and expanding the School's research portfolio and enhancing faculty competitiveness for research funding, while ensuring regulatory compliance and responsible, reproducible conduct of research. Previously, he was Vice Chair for Clinical and Translational Research in the Department of Medicine. He is a professor of Epidemiology and of Medicine with a dual appointment in Oncology.
Lymari Morales, MPP
Associate Dean for Communications and Marketing
Morales oversees communications and marketing for the Bloomberg School, including ongoing publishing, marketing, branding, and audience growth across modern and traditional channels. Under her leadership, the School has significantly grown its audiences and won several national awards. Morales also holds an associate appointment in the Department of Health Policy and Management. Before joining the Bloomberg School, Morales worked in communications leadership roles at The Atlantic and Gallup, and in national newsrooms.
Beth Resnick, DrPH, MPH '95
Assistant Dean for Practice and Training
Resnick works closely with the vice dean for Public Health Practice and Community Engagement to provide strategic vision, leadership and oversight of the School’s practice- and training-related initiatives and overall integration of practice into the School’s work. She is also a senior scientist in Health Policy and Management and directs the Master of Science in Public Health program in Health Policy.
Joshua M. Sharfstein, MD
Vice Dean for Public Health Practice and Community Engagement
Sharfstein oversees the Office of Public Health Practice and Training, SOURCE (the community engagement and service-learning center) and graduate medical education in Preventive Medicine and Occupational Health. He is also the director of the Bloomberg American Health Initiative and Professor of the Practice in Health Policy and Management. Previously, he served as Commissioner of Health for Baltimore City, Principal Deputy Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Secretary of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
Katherine Clegg Smith, PhD
Vice Dean for Faculty
Smith is responsible for initiatives to enhance the faculty experience, maximize productivity, and promote retention. She oversees new faculty orientation, professional development, and skill-building, ensuring adequate mentoring and implementing networking opportunities to foster collaboration and a culture of inclusiveness at all stages of faculty life. She is also a professor in the Department of Health, Behavior and Society, director of the Center for Qualitative Studies of Health and Medicine, and she chairs the University’s Doctor of Philosophy Board.
Elizabeth Stuart, PhD
Executive Vice Dean for Academic Affairs
Stuart is responsible for enhancing the educational excellence of the Bloomberg School. She oversees the major academic office that facilitates and coordinates education activities, including coordination with the Office of Student Affairs. She is responsible for creating and leading a culture of educational research and innovation, and improving the quality of the School’s educational initiatives. She is a professor in Mental Health, with joint appointments in Biostatistics and Health Policy and Management.
Michael Ward, MEd
Associate Dean for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs
Ward is responsible for the Bloomberg School's Student Affairs Office, including Student Life, the Admissions Office, Financial Aid, Career Services and Records and Registration.