Announcing New Colorado School of Public Health Dean, 6-5-23

Dear students, faculty and staff,

We are pleased to announce that Cathy J. Bradley, PhD, MPA, has been named fourth dean of the Colorado School of Public Health, effective August 1, 2023. We are fortunate to have a leader of Dr. Bradley’s caliber and experience at the helm as ColoradoSPH celebrates its 15th year as the first accredited and only collaborative school of public health in the Rocky Mountain West. 

An internationally recognized health economist with expertise in health insurance, access and disparities, Dr. Bradley has been a part of our campus since 2015 when she joined us as professor and Paul A. Bunn, Jr. Endowed Chair in Cancer Research. She has served as deputy director of the University of Colorado Cancer Center and associate dean for research in the ColoradoSPH for the last five years. Prior to joining the CU Anschutz Medical Campus, she served as founding chair of the healthcare policy and research department and associate director of cancer prevention and control at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine.

Dr. Bradley’s many contributions include nearly doubling NIH funding for ColoradoSPH ‒ now ranked among the top 20 graduate schools of public health in the country ‒ and growing population science, supporting community outreach and engagement, and helping to establish the office of diversity, equity, inclusion and access at the CU Cancer Center. A prolific researcher and partnership builder, she has led fruitful multidisciplinary and multi-institutional research collaborations. Her research portfolio will continue to focus on the productivity costs of disease and cancer, the influence of employment-contingent health insurance on treatment options, costs and labor supply, and socioeconomic healthcare disparities. 

Along with our ColoradoSPH partners ‒ Colorado State University and the University of Northern Colorado ‒ we look forward to all that Dr. Bradley will bring to her role as dean at a pivotal time in ColoradoSPH’s growth and development. She is well-equipped to help further elevate our school as a national leader, to shine a light on our exceptional faculty and outstanding students, and to build our programs in key areas including cancer prevention and control, climate and human health, population mental health, and environmental and occupational health. 

Our gratitude goes to School of Dental Medicine Dean Denise Kassebaum and the search committee for leading the nationwide search for the fourth dean of ColoradoSPH. We thank Jon Samet, MD, MS, for his many achievements as the longest-serving dean of ColoradoSPH and for preparing us well for this leadership transition as he returns to his role on our faculty.

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Bradley to her new role as we build on the Colorado School of Public Health’s 15-year history to take our school to new heights. 

Don Elliman
Chancellor

Roderick Nairn
Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs