Dr. Donna Petersen, dean of the USF College of Public Health (COPH), delivered the college’s annual State of the College address in person to a packed Samuel P. Bell, III auditorium on Sept. 22.

This year’s presentation highlighted the college’s people, passion and potential. “Our people are the foundation of everything we do,” Petersen said, as she introduced the numerous new hires, promotions, new doctoral scholars and faculty, staff, student and alumni award winners.

“We recognize and thank all of these folks who not only enrich the college but also what we do collectively as USF Health to improve lives and create opportunities for our students and teams to learn and grow professionally,” Petersen said.

One who received special recognition was Dr. Karen Liller, a Distinguished University Health Professor, who was presented with the Cliff Blair Award for Excellence in Teaching. The award, named for the late COPH professor Cliff Blair who famously made difficult subjects easy to understand and who received the student’s teaching award seven times, is given to instructors who, according to the award’s website, “reach deep within and far beyond to provide extraordinary learning moments for students.”

“This award is so meaningful to me,” Liller said as she accepted the award. “I knew Cliff for many years. He always had time for you and was so approachable and funny. He was an amazing individual and I can’t thank you enough.”

Petersen then moved into highlighting the college’s passion—which is educating students and serving the community. Some statistics of note:

• The fall 2023 incoming class is comprised of 466 undergraduate students, 220 master’s students ​and 30 doctoral students​.
• Since May 2022, the college graduated 1,492 bachelor students,​ 314 master’s students​ and 36 doctoral students​.
• During the 2022-2023 academic year, the college’s faculty taught 83,254 student contact hours, up 2.5% over the prior year.
• A team, which included two COPH MHA students, took home second place in the CLARION Case Competition, a national competition that promotes the development of interprofessional relationships among health professional students.
• Two health sciences majors were recently elected USF Student Government president and vice president.
• One student who recently graduated summa cum laude was named a UG Golden Bull and was a Phi Beta Kappa inductee.

“Our faculty amazes me every year,” Petersen said. “Every year you teach more and more and more. And we can’t thank you enough. You help ensure the future of our field.”

Petersen went on to make note of the college’s main initiatives in 2022, including new curriculum collaborations with other areas of USF Health, such as the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences and the Taneja College of Pharmacy; instituting one-credit graduate courses; new graduate student boot camps that focus on things like writing and professionalism; the start of the Disease Intervention Specialist Training Academy (DISTA) and the Center for Leadership in Public Health Practice and its inaugural PHEARLESS cohort, devoted to workforce development.

She also elaborated on the strides of the Florida Perinatal Quality Collaborative, which now has 100% participation for all the maternity hospitals in the state; the achievements of the Center for Global Health and Inter-Disciplinary Research, which has active grants totaling $49.9 million;  the genomics program, which recently enrolled its largest MSPH class; and other programs like the COPH Lifelong Learning Academy, which awarded approximately 2,046 CPH and CHES credits in 2022-2023.

Finally, Petersen talked about the college’s potential, “where we are, where we’re going and what we want to do,” she said. And because potential takes funding, she also gave an overview of the college’s budget and grants and outlined some of the important work students and faculty are doing in the research realm.

“We are doing incredible work that is increasingly recognized by different groups locally and around the country,” Petersen commented. “We had 120 research proposals submitted last year. That’s an enormous increase over the prior year. And our active awards are up to an all-time high, from $19.9 million in fiscal year 2020 to $34.98 million in 2023.”

Petersen ended her address looking to the future, making mention of a variety of events to take place and acknowledging and thanking everyone involved in the college for their support and work.

She recounted a story she heard about a man living in New Orleans post-Hurricane Katrina. His dream, Petersen said, was to open a grocery store, because every time he saw someone carrying groceries on a bus, he knew it was likely the third bus they’d been carrying the groceries on as there were no nearby food marts.

“He said, ‘You know, they say you only live once. But that’s not the truth. You only die once, but you live every day. And every day that you live, you have to do something impactful. Have a few kids, get a job, pay your bills, grow old and die—that’s not why you’re here. My purpose is easy. It’s to serve.’ So, every day,” Petersen added, “do something that matters. Be kind. Be helpful. Because that’s what we’re about.”

To view the entire address, click here.

Story by Donna Campisano, USF College of Public Health