Leading during the pandemic

We are beginning this school year against an unprecedented landscape. COVID-19 continues to rage in the U.S., and Rollins faculty, staff, students, and alumni continue to commit their time, expertise, and passion to the pandemic response. Most notably, Rollins and the Georgia Department of Public Health have entered a partnership with the formation of the Emory COVID-19 Response Collaboration (ECRC). Through the ECRC, we are supporting the state’s efforts in several key areas, including helping plan overall response efforts, bolstering surveillance, responding to outbreaks, and training a new cadre of epidemiologists. I am proud of all the ways in which we have been able to serve the state’s response efforts.

An epidemic of police violence against African Americans is also playing out as we re-open our doors. Hannah Cooper, Rollins Distinguished Professor in Substance Use Disorders Research, had co-authored a timely book, From Enforcers to Guardians: A Public Health Primer on Ending Police Violence, which frames excessive police violence as a critical public health issue. As a school, we are taking a hard look at our practices and policies to increase the diversity and equity of faculty, staff, and students. Toward that end, we are in the process of hiring Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, who will lead Rollins in building its culture of inclusivity. We will detail more of our efforts in a future issue of the magazine.

We start this academic year under new leadership. Gregory L. Fenves became the twenty-first president of Emory University on August 1, 2020. He succeeds Claire E. Sterk, who—fortunately for us—has rejoined the Rollins faculty. Read more about our new president on page the adjoining page.

Finally, it is with the deepest sadness that I announce the death of R. Randall Rollins. Like his father and mother before him, Randall was a true friend to our school. Though he was an extremely astute, successful man of business, Randall was, at his core, humble and generous of spirit. Our school benefitted greatly from that generosity. The two buildings that house our school were funded by the Rollins family, and a third is rising as you read this. I grieve that he will not be able to see the opening of the building that bears his name, but I have no doubt his spirit will infuse its halls. Please read more about the life and contributions of R. Randall Rollins on the preceding pages.

Thank you for your interest in this issue of Rollins magazine, and stay safe.

James W. Curran, MD, MPH
James W. Curran Dean of Public Health