Gillings alumna Donna Arnett selected as dean of Kentucky's College of Public Health
August 10, 2015
Dr. Donna Arnett
Donna Arnett, PhD, 1992 alumna of the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health’s Department of Epidemiology, has been named dean of the University of Kentucky’s College of Public Health.
Arnett has served since 2004 as chair of the epidemiology department in the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s School of Public Health. She also served as the school’s associate dean for academic and strategic programs.
Her research, which involves the study of genes related to hypertensive disorders, has resulted in more than 450 peer-reviewed published papers and two books. She currently holds three National Institutes of Health grants for research on genes that determine a physiological response to a high-fat diet and the cholesterol-controlling drug fenofibrate and hypertension-induced left ventricular hypertrophy.
Arnett was the first epidemiologist and second Doctor of Philosophy to serve as president of the American Heart Association, a position she held in 2012-2013.
A native of Kentucky, Arnett sees her new role as an opportunity to address health disparities relevant to the region, including cancer and drug abuse.
“A big focus of mine will be bringing public health, medicine and other health related colleges closer together in terms of building population health,” Arnett said.
“Dr. Arnett is a transformative leader whose core values of excellence, professionalism and innovation complement the university’s mission,” said University of Kentucky Provost Tim Tracy, PhD. “With an impressive track record of gaining major national funding for research, she will encourage interdepartmental partnerships and champion studies investigating the most important health issues in the Commonwealth and beyond.”
Arnett also holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Master of Science in Public Health from the University of South Florida. After completing her doctoral degree at UNC, she held an American Heart Association postdoctoral fellowship at UNC from 1992 to 1994.
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Gillings School of Global Public Health contact: David Pesci, director of communications, (919) 962-2600 or dpesci@unc.edu
