The Dawn of a New This year marked yet another important milestone for the College as it officially takes a new name - the OU Hudson College of Public Health at the University of Oklahoma. Asoneofthelongeststandingcollegesofpublichealthinthenation, first earning accreditation in 1969 and continuously maintaining it since, the College builds on a history of innovation and excellence. “The leaders in Oklahoma were visionary in establishing an inde- pendent college that brings together the core disciplines of public health - epidemiology, biostatistics, health administration and pol- icy, the social behavioral sciences, and occupational and environ- mental health. Having all of these together in one college allows for the interchange of ideas and multidisciplinary interaction that leads to innovation and creativity in ideas, programs and research as we Department of Health Administration and Policy The Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology offers Master of Public Health, Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees, the Department’s programs are de- signed to prepare students for ca- reers in health agencies and medi- cal institutions; as consultants, especially in the biomedical fields; for independent biostatistical and epidemiological research; and for academic careers in schools of pub- lic health and medicine. Using our expertise in research design, data collection and analysis, we aim to improve the understanding of dis- ease processes and related risk fac- tors. Faculty members direct and support a large number of research projects, covering a wide array of clinical, translational and public health practice topics. They also provide opportunities for graduate assistantships, allowing students to gain real-world experience in project management, research and evaluation, project design, data collection and management, data analysis, and scientific writing. OU is proud to be home to the only nationally- accredited Master of Health Administration program in Oklahoma, offering both the Master of Health Administra- tion and the Master of Public Health degrees as well as two dual de- grees, the JD-MHA and the JD-MPH, and the new MBA-Certificate in Healthcare Administration. The Depart- ment’s goal is to prepare gradu- ates to become exemplary leaders in hospitals, health care systems and public health organizations. To that end, its programs focus on creating competencies that al- low for the successful understand- ing and evaluation of the overall healthcare system in this nation, and of key aspects of that system, including communication, execu- tive leadership, ethical decision making, critical thinking, quan- titative analysis, patient outcome improvement, and professional- ism. The Department boasts a 100 percent graduate placement rate. Recent highlights include: • The Department earned CAHME reaccreditation for seven years. • Christina Bennett, J.D., assistant professor, co-authored an article in the Journal of Health Administration Education entitled ‘Weaving the threat of implicit bias through health administration curricula to overcome gender disparities in the workforce.’ She also published several other articles in scholarly journals. • Dale Bratzler, D.O., M.P.H., chaired the Technical Expert Panel of the 2018 National Impact Assessment of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Quality Measures Report. • Faculty, staff and students assisted with planning of the Annual Healthcare Executives Summit, which brought together regional healthcare executives. Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology Recent highlights include: • Aaron Wendelboe, Ph.D., received the Williams Companies Foundation Presidential Professorship, recognizing faculty members for excellence as teachers and mentors, as well as in all of their professional activities. • College Alumna Jessica Reese, Ph.D., published in the New England Journal of Medicine key findings from her doctoral dissertation related to platelet count changes during pregnancy. • Amanda Janitz, Ph.D., and Sydney Martinez, Ph.D., are Principal Investigators on capacity-building and pilot projects as components of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences-funded Cherokee Nation Native American Research Center for Health grant. The project focuses on addressing major health needs and understanding cancer incidence and its causes.