College of Public Health Dean Appointment

Campus Community,

I am pleased to inform you that Dr. Heather Bush has accepted our offer to serve as dean of the UK College of Public Health. She has served as the acting dean for the past two years, and I am grateful for her continued leadership in the college’s era of growth. 

Dr. Bush earned her bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Mount Vernon Nazarene University, and she earned both her M.S. and Ph.D. in statistics from UK’s College of Arts and Sciences. After working in industry, she returned to UK in 2006, teaching courses at the undergraduate, graduate and professional levels focused on statistical consulting and applications of biostatistics.

She has served the university and our greater community in numerous ways. As an endowed faculty in the Center for Research on Violence Against Women and an affiliate of the Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center (KIPRC), she uses bystander-based training to promote violence prevention and harm reduction in college populations. She is also co-investigator in the HEALing Communities study, a four-year, $87 million study, the largest grant ever awarded to the University of Kentucky, with the goal of drastically reducing opioid overdose deaths in Kentucky. 

During her time as acting dean of the College of Public Health, Dr. Bush has overseen sustained growth of their student population and extramural research funding, furthering our university’s efforts to create positive change for the health needs of communities across Kentucky, and she has played a key role in the design of the Michael D. Rankin MD Health Education Building, the college’s new home. She is also a past recipient of the Provost’s Award for Outstanding Teaching and is a University Research Professor. 

Her dedication to our students and our community is a testament to the leadership she brings, which will help to nurture our students as they become trailblazers of our Commonwealth’s public health needs as we continue to grow.

Please join me in congratulating Dr. Bush on her appointment as dean of the UK College of Public Health.

Robert S. DiPaola, M.D. 
Provost