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About

Dean's Message

Welcome to the Joint School of Public Health. We hope you will join us as we embark on our mission of inspiring teaching, groundbreaking research, and meaningful community engagement.

The Joint School of Public Health at Old Dominion University and Norfolk State University brings together faculty, staff and students from the newly created Macon and Joan Brock Health Sciences at Old Dominion University and Norfolk State University with dedication and expertise as the cornerstones of our institution. As the first and only joint school of public health in the Commonwealth of Virginia, we are building an environment of academic excellence, innovation, and collaboration to educate the next generation of public health workforce. Our newly formed two academic departments offer excellent scholarly expertise in core public health disciplines including Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Environmental and Occupational Health, Health Behavior and Promotion, and Health Policy and Management. With this solid foundational capacity, the Joint School of Public Health will take bold steps to teach and research the future of social change through the lens of health equity and social determinants of health.

Li-Wu Chen, PhD, MHSA
(Dr. Chen's full message)

JSPH Leadership

NSU leaders have an active role in the development and management of the JSPH at all levels of governance. For example, the JSPH Dean regularly reports to Dr. DoVeanna Fulton as NSU's Provost, and Dr. Felicia Mebane, Executive Director of the Center for Public Health Initiatives at NSU, also serves as an Associate Dean. In addition, NSU faculty serve on academic committees, including for specific programs and curriculum development.

Full list of JSPH Leadership

CEPH Accreditation

The Joint School of Public Health at Old Dominion University and Norfolk State University is an applicant for accreditation in the school of public health category of CEPH accreditation. Entry into the process and acceptance of an application are not a guarantee of accreditation. For more information about CEPH and school of public health accreditation, please visit the CEPH website at https://ceph.org .


The Joint School of Public Health is undergoing a review by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) for accreditation. Part of this process includes the provision of a third-party comment period, which allows anyone, including students, alumni, faculty, staff, community and practice partners, and members of the public, to share relevant information about the Joint School of Public Health directly with CEPH.

If you have any information about the Joint School of Public Health at ODU and NSU that you would like to share with CEPH to inform their review, send your comments to submissions@ceph.org by October 9, 2025.