Pierre Buekens, dean of the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. Photo by Paula Burch-Celentano, courtesy University Publications.
| Pierre Buekens, dean of Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, has agreed to serve a second term beginning July 1, 2008. Buekens, a native of Belgium, first joined Tulane as dean of the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in January of 2003. He came to Tulane from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he had served as chairman of the Department of Maternal and Child Health and associate dean for Global Health.
His many accomplishments at Tulane in the last four years include increasing the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine's position in national rankings; solidifying its position in the top tier of all schools of public health; doubling the school's competitive research funding; reinforcing funding for doctoral students; stabilizing the school after Katrina; and attracting the highest number of applicants ever with the return of incoming student numbers to pre-storm levels. Under his leadership the school also established the Center for Evidence-Based Global Health to support research on today's most critical global health issues. Pierre continues to be an international leader in the area of maternal health, with active projects in Latin America funded by the National Institutes of Health.“It’s been a pleasure to see the school grow the way it has during the past four and a half years,” said Buekens. “I’m surrounded by dedicated faculty, staff, and students. They’ve been very supportive—and they show remarkable dedication to public health globally and at home in New Orleans.” “The school continues to be a leader in public health worldwide,” said Alan Miller, interim senior vice president for health sciences. “And as a resident of Louisiana, I know that our region has benefited from the work the school has done under Pierre’s leadership.” In addition to continuing as dean, Buekens will also become the William Hamilton Watkins Professor of Epidemiology. This professorship was established by the family of Dr. William Watkins, an 1868 graduate of Tulane School of Medicine who was active in the field of public health and was a well-known authority on yellow fever.
“We are thrilled that Pierre and his wife Alejandra will continue to be members of the Tulane family for many years to come,” said Michael Bernstein, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost of the university.
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