Message from the Interim Dean

Welcome to the Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health. Approved by the University of Texas System Board of Regents, and endorsed and generously supported by the Texas Legislature in its 2021 session, the school will be cemented in UT Southwestern’s core research strength and reinforced through collaborations with area institutions and health systems.

As we prepare to welcome students in fall 2023, we are:

• Building on UT Southwestern’s work and established capabilities, such as our Department of Population and Data Sciences, with over $8 million in annual research funding.
• Adding faculty who will generate discoveries and train students who learn in the context of expanded projects in the culturally diverse Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, home to more than 7.5 million people.
• Developing innovative curriculum, guided by experts from top schools of public health in the country.

The Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health will provide unique academic and research opportunities within a culturally-rich environment that has Dallas ranked No. 4 in diversity among U.S. cities.

We invite student, faculty, government, industry, and community leaders to join us in our Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health endeavor to meet the public health challenges of our time with rigor, innovation, integrity, and collaboration.

Together, we will achieve our school’s mission: to serve the communities of North Texas and the world, and ensure all have equal opportunity to lead healthy lives.

Celette Sugg Skinner, Ph.D.
Interim Dean of the Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health