Milestones, People

Health economist to serve as interim dean of public health

By Public Affairs

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William Dow

William Dow

William H. Dow, professor of health economics and Kaiser Permanente endowed chair in health policy and management, will serve as interim dean of the School of the Public Health at UC Berkeley, beginning July 1.

In a message to the campus community today, Chancellor Carol Christ and Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Paul Alivisatos called Dow “a celebrated scholar of the economic aspects of health insurance, health behaviors, and health and demographic outcomes.”

Dow joined the Berkeley faculty in 2004. Since 2005, he has been the associate director of the Berkeley Population Center and, since 2013, the director of the Center on the Economics and Demography of Aging. He has also served as an SPH division head and as the school’s associate dean for research.

“Will’s broad academic interests, coupled with his leadership within the SPH, will ensure that he provides a steady hand during this period of transition for the school,” the administrators wrote.

A search committee is being formed to conduct a global search for a permanent dean, with the goal of having a new dean in place by July 1, 2019.

Dow will take the place of outgoing Dean Stefano Bertozzi.