Dr. Francesca L. Beaudoin named School of Public Health dean at Brown

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] - Dr. Francesca L. Beaudoin, a widely respected epidemiologist, emergency physician and addiction medicine specialist, has been appointed the next dean of Brown University's School of Public Health (SPH), effective June 1, 2026. Beaudoin has been serving in the role on an interim basis since Jan. 1, 2026.

Beaudoin - an alumna of SPH who has served on the school's leadership team for five years, most recently as academic dean - will provide strategic vision, intellectual leadership and administrative oversight to all aspects of the school. She will oversee the school's four academic departments, 13 research centers, seven master's programs, four doctoral programs and the undergraduate concentrations in public health and statistics, while driving the school's strategic planning in collaboration with its faculty.

In announcing Beaudoin's appointment in a Tuesday, May 19, message to the Brown community, Provost Francis J. Doyle III described Beaudoin as an exceptional scholar, a dedicated clinician and a proven academic leader who deeply embodies Brown's mission of translating world-class research into real-world impact. She was named to the role after a national search.

"Francesca has demonstrated a deep commitment to building the strength of Brown's School of Public Health and its capacity to improve public health locally and globally through scholarship and teaching that informs decisions on policy and practice," Doyle wrote. "She brings an exceptional focus on the mission of the school to tackle complex health challenges with a sense of urgency to help real people every day."

Doyle praised Beaudoin's leadership in advancing public health initiatives that promise to have a major impact in areas that build on SPH's core strengths in data science, health policy reform and behavioral sciences, in addition to rigorous research in areas spanning pandemic response and preparedness, overdose prevention, and public health interventions for Alzheimer's and dementia - all in line with the University's mission of service to society. She will oversee ongoing efforts to grow the size of the faculty and expand a research portfolio that currently ranks among the top 10 schools of public health for federal funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Beaudoin also will lead the continued strengthening of educational programs and steward the school's commitment to educating the next generation of public health scholars. The SPH community includes approximately 820 students, including 660 graduate students and 160 undergraduate students.

"I feel privileged to lead the School of Public Health as it moves into its next era with an unwavering focus on generating knowledge, training leaders and building partnerships that allow Brown to respond to the world's most urgent health needs," Beaudoin said. "At a moment when public health systems face global scrutiny, our faculty and students are not waiting for the next generation of solutions - they are actively building them every day, and that inspires me with immense hope and purpose as I step into this role."

Reporting directly to the provost, Beaudoin will serve as a member of the provost's Academic Priorities Committee; the Tenure, Promotions and Appointments Committee; and the President's Cabinet and President's Executive Committee, while also stewarding the SPH Board of Governors.