William True has been selected to serve as the interim Dean for the School of Public Health while the search committee looks for a permanent dean for the school.
True completed his Ph.D. in anthropology at the University of Florida and has been a part of Saint Louis University’s faculty since 1979 as a Professor of Community Health.
In this time he has garnered a vast array of experience at the SLU community.
For the past six years, True has held the chairperson position for the promotion and tenure committee at the School of Public Health and is currently a member of the university committee on rank and tenure.
In addition, True is a member of the Society of Epidemiological Research and a fellow of the Society of Medical Anthropology. He has also co-authored a number of journal articles and collaborated on studies of genetic relationships between nicotine and alcohol dependence in men.
True will remain as the interim Dean of the School of Public Health until a committee completes its search for the new dean-a process that is already under way.
Gerald Magill, director of the Center for Health Care Ethics, has received the appointment to serve as chair of the search committee. The committee is also comprised of Public Health faculty Ross Brownson, Dan Gentry, Debra Haire-Joshu and Sharon Holman; the Chair of the Math Department, Michael May, S.J.; and Karen Oniewski, a Public Health student and alumnus Danny Wedding.
True temporarily replaces Richard S. Kurz, announced his resignation as dean of the School of Public Health earlier this fall. After holding this position since 1993, Kurz plans on devoting more time to teaching and research projects. Kurz specializes in the area of health services management and is interested in continuous quality improvement, leadership and organizational performance.
Kurz has distinguished himself through the numerous positions and memberships he has held. In his career, Kurz has held the positions of the Chair of the Association of Schools Public Health (ASPH) Distance Learning Task Force, the Chair of the Publications Committee of ASPH as well as a member of the executive committee of ASPH. He has also served as the editor of Hospital and Health Services Administration and continues to review for a number of journals. In addition, Kurz is a technical consultant for two St. Louis foundations and a board member of several local and state public health organizations and coalitions.
Kurz has active memberships in the American Public Health Association, the Academy of Management and the Association of Health Services Research.
Under Kurz’s tenure, the School of Public Health has experienced significant growth and improvement of leadership in public issues, degree programs, research studies and expansion of faculty.
Most impressive has been the increase from $500,000 in research funding in 1993 to the current $8 million allotted in the last fiscal year. The school has also witnessed an increase of the student body by 36 percent and the doubling the number of the faculty.
In addition, the School of Public Health has established a number of new and prestigious programs under the guidance of Kurz. For example, the Center for the Study of Bioterrorism and Emerging Infections, which is the first of its kind in the United States, was created during Kurz’s tenure. As well, the Eliminating Health Disparities Graduate Traineeship, which trains African American graduates focusing on preventing disease in minority communities, was established.
After reviewing the school, the Council of Education for Public Health (CEPH) bestowed the maximum accreditation of seven years and honored the school for its practical and beneficial research, dedicated faculty and ability to work with full-time and part-time students.
