U of M Professor and Associate Dean Named Interim Executive Director of the Public Health Accreditation Board

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (Nov. 25, 2008) — William J. Riley, Ph.D., University of Minnesota School of Public Health professor and associate dean, has been named interim executive director of the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB).

“I am honored to serve in this role,” Riley said. “Public health departments are concerned with everything from bioterrorism and disease outbreaks, to clean drinking water and seatbelt laws. Ensuring the departments’ efficiency and effectiveness is critical to protecting the health and safety of the public; and that’s where PHAB comes in.”

The PHAB is a non-profit consortium of heads of local public health agencies whose mission is to develop, promote, and oversee quality standards for public health agencies at the municipal, state, and federal levels. 

Riley, a noted national expert on quality improvement in health care settings and public health agencies, has served on PHAB’s board of directors since July 2007. Riley and PHAB’s board of directors have begun a search to find a permanent executive director, a position they hope to have filled by next spring.  In the meantime, Riley will continue to fulfill his teaching and research duties as a School of Public Health faculty member. He will also advise School of Public Health Dean John Finnegan, Jr. on partnership development strategies in his role as associate dean.

For more than 60 years, the University of Minnesota School of Public Health has been among the top accredited schools of public health in the nation.  With a mission focused on research, teaching, and service, the school attracts nearly $70 million in sponsored research each year, has more than 100 faculty members and more than 1,300 students, and is engaged in community outreach activities locally, nationally and in dozens of countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.sph.umn.edu. The School’s Centers for Public Health Education and Outreach promotes lifelong learning to bridge academic and public health practice communities.

Contact:         
Jenna Langer, Academic Health Center, lang0712@umn.edu or 612-626-4784
Molly Portz, Academic Health Center, mportz@umn.edu or 612-625-2640