Devlin to join Robert Wood Johnson Foundation board
June 16, 2014
Leah McCall Devlin, DDS, MPH, Professor of the Practice of health policy and management at the Gillings School of Global Public Health, will join The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) board of trustees in July.
The Board leads the nation’s largest philanthropy devoted to building a culture of health in America, enabling all to live healthier lives now and for generations to come.
Devlin, who joined the Gillings School, in 2009, engages students and faculty and staff members to foster solutions to complex public health problems in North Carolina and works to raise the visibility of the School among state leaders. She also serves as consultant to RTI International, one of the world’s leading research institutes, located in Research Triangle Park, N.C.
“Leah Devlin is well known for her devotion to the advancement of population health, and for her considerable expertise in building diverse partnerships to address health issues,” said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD, RWJF president and chief executive officer. “We look forward to putting those talents to good use as we work with others to build a Culture of Health in America.”
Prior to joining the Gillings School, Devlin served from 2001 to 2009 as the state health director in the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. Before that, she served as the director of the Wake County Health Department in Raleigh, N.C., for 10 years.
At the national level, Devlin serves on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Foundation Board and the Public Health Accreditation Board. She continues to serve on many boards in North Carolina and recently stepped down from the Technical Advisory Board of the Milbank Memorial Fund. Devlin is a past president of the Association of State and Territorial Health Directors. Her honors include recognition from numerous professional associations for her contributions to public health. In 2008, she received the University of North Carolina’s distinguished alumni award.
Devlin earned her bachelor’s, dental and Master of Public Health degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she also was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa.
“We look forward to working with Dr. Devlin,” said Foundation Board chair Roger Fine, JD, “knowing that she comes to us with a proven passion for building strong coalitions to improve the health of all Americans.”