February 9, 2024
Dr. Vaughn Upshaw
The UNC-Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health has appointed Vaughn Upshaw, Ph.D., Ed.D., MPH, as director of the newly created Department of Public Health Leadership and Practice (PHLP), effective February 5.
Mr. Upshaw came to Carolina in 1996 with appointments in both the School of Government and the School of Public Health. Her career has been spent supporting leaders and decision makers working to improve the quality of life in their communities.
Most recently, he led the School's Master of Public Health (MPH) degree Practical Leadership Concentration and will continue to lead the Public Health Leadership Certificate Program at Gillings. She also serves as principal investigator for the North Carolina Public Health Leadership Institute and Veterans Health Community Building Project.
“In October 2023, we launched the Department of Public Health Leadership and Practice, formerly a program,” said Nancy Messonnier, MD, dean of the Gillings School and Bryson Distinguished Professor of Public Health. explained. “We cannot think of a better leader for this new department without walls. Vaughn has spent his entire career in public health leadership, providing a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for this department and the Gillings School. I did.”
Dr. Anna Schenk has directed the Public Health Leadership Program since 2009, led the North Carolina Institute of Public Health (NCIPH) from 2011 to 2017, and served as the inaugural chair of the new PHLP division.
“I am excited to transition leadership of the department to Mr. Vaughn,” said Mr. Schenck. “Her extensive expertise in both academia and practice makes her well suited for this role. I am confident that the department will grow under her leadership.”
Upshaw earned a Master of Public Health in Health Behavior and a Doctorate of Public Health (DrPH) in Health Policy and Administration from the UNC Gillings School and a Doctorate of Education from North Carolina State University. Her first term as chair will be for two and a half years.
The new faculty joins two divisions, the Public Health Leadership Program and NCIPH, designed to strengthen and advance Gillings School leadership and practice through both scholarship and action.
The department will continue to train students in the Placed-Based Health concentration offered through the joint MPH degree with UNC-Asheville, as well as the Clinician Concentration, Leadership in Practice, and Global Health Concentration. NCIPH will also offer the DrPH degree in health leadership in collaboration with the Gillings Office of Health Policy and Management to collaboratively foster innovative solutions to public health challenges in North Carolina and beyond. We will continue to expand our activities.
“I am honored to serve as Director of Public Health Instruction and Practice at Gillings,” said Upshaw. “By combining NCIPH's commitment to practice with the school's academic programs, we are in a position to combine knowledge from research with practical benefits to improve the health of communities across our state and around the world. .”
Please contact the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health Communications Team. sphcomm@unc.edu.
