New Leadership for the DrPH Program

Dear Colleagues,

I am thrilled to announce that effective September 1, 2022, Mark J. Bittle, DrPH ’06, MBA will become the next chair of the DrPH program, following in the footsteps of Janice Bowie, PhD ’97, MPH, who recently retired from the BSPH faculty. Mark was selected from among several outstanding faculty who expressed interest in leading the DrPH program.

As many of you know, Mark is a senior scientist in Health Policy and Management. An experienced executive, Mark received his DrPH from the School in 2006 (the first graduate of HPM’s part-time DrPH program!), and is board-certified in health care management as a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives. He has extensive experience building and expertly managing academic programs in public health. He is currently the director for both the Master of Health Administration and the Master of Applied Science in Population Health Management. He also directs three graduate certificate programs and co-directs the MPH-Health Leadership and Management concentration. Mark recently completed a term on the School’s Faculty Senate and is active in many departmental and Schoolwide activities, as well as serving on committees of several national professional associations. Mark is also very familiar with academic program accreditation, and will be an asset to the School as we move forward with our self-study and review by the Council on Education for Public Health. 

In conversations with both Mark and Janice, it became clear that given the rapid growth in size and scope of the DrPH degree, the program could benefit from additional support. We are excited to announce that Renee M. Johnson, PhD, MPH has agreed to serve as deputy chair of the DrPH program. Renee is an associate professor and vice chair for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Department of Mental Health with a joint appointment in Epidemiology. She studies substance use, injury and violence, overdose prevention, and adolescent health. She is affiliated with the Bloomberg American Health Initiative, the Center for Injury Research and Policy, and the Center for Adolescent Health. Renee will bring to the position substantial experience in training public health professionals. She is a member of the MPH Executive Board and co-directs the NIH-funded Drug Dependence Epidemiology Training Program.

Together, Mark and Renee bring a depth of experience and commitment to public health education that will serve the DrPH program and the School well.

Please join me in congratulating Mark and Renee on their new positions.

All my best,

Ellen J. MacKenzie, PhD ’79, ScM ’75
Dean
Bloomberg Distinguished Professor