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George Mason University is pleased to announce the appointment of Melissa J. Perry, Sc.D., MHS as the next Dean of the College of Health and Human Services. Dean-designate Perry will join the Mason community on August 1, 2022.
Dr. Perry comes to Mason from George Washington University where she has served as a Professor and Chair of the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health in the Milken School of Public Health since 2011. She also has faculty appointments in the Department of Epidemiology and Statistics at the Milken School of Public Health, as well as in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine at the School of Medicine and Health Sciences. In addition, she previously served as the Interim Associate Dean for Research at the Milken School of Public Health. Prior to joining the faculty and leadership at George Washington University, she was a member of the faculty at the Harvard School of Public Health (1999 – 2011) as well as the Medical College of Wisconsin (1995 – 1999).
She is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health where she received both her MHS and Sc.D. degrees. She was awarded a Bachelors of Arts degree from the University of Vermont where she was recognized as a member of the Phi Beta Kappa organization. She is currently a candidate for an MBA degree at the George Washington University.
Dr. Perry is internationally respected for her work as an educator, researcher and administrator. Her research has been well-funded by both federal agencies and foundations. She has published more than 150 manuscripts, technical reports, book chapters, commentaries and book reviews and is a frequent speaker at professional conferences.
Dr. Perry is currently completing an assignment in Albania as a Fellow in the Fulbright International Education Program for Global Scholars. Among a large number of other appointments and honors in support of academic organizations and professional societies, she is a Past-President and Fellow of the American College of Epidemiology, Chair of the Research Committee of the Health Effects Institute, Co-Chair of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine Committee on Emerging Science, and recently completed a term as the Chair of the Board of Scientific Counselors of the Center for Environmental Health’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
"This is a fantastic opportunity and I am delighted to join the fine members of George Mason University. CHHS is making a real impact in health promotion and disease prevention and I am looking forward to leading the College to the next level of national and international accomplishments,” said Perry.
We welcome Dr. Perry to the College of Health and Human Services and George Mason University.