FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
INDIANAPOLIS — Paul Halverson, founding dean of the IU Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, has been appointed to the National Advisory Committee of the newly created Public Health National Center for Innovations.
Established by the Public Health Accreditation Board with funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Center will identify, implement and spread innovations in public health practice to help meet the health challenges of the 21st century in communities nationwide.
As public health departments adapt to meet the growing and changing needs of their communities, experts say, there is a need for strategic coordination and a national convener to help incubate and share innovative ideas.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is investing nearly $3 million in the Center’s first three-year initiative. Its advisory committee is composed of thought leaders from health care and public health who will guide program development and coordinate national-level work aimed at achieving a culture of health.
Halverson brings a diverse background in public health and health administration to his role, having worked in academia, federal and state government public health organizations, and the healthcare system. He joined Indiana University in 2013 after serving as the state health officer and director of the Arkansas Department of Health.
Prior to his Arkansas appointment, Halverson served in senior management roles at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including as senior advisor in the office of strategy and innovation, senior scientist and director of the division of public health systems development and research, director of the CDC’s World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Public Health, and director of the National Public Health Performance Standards program.
Before joining the CDC, Halverson served as a faculty member at the University of North Carolina School of Public Health. Halverson began his career in health administration and has 15 years of experience as a hospital and health system executive, working in Phoenix, Minneapolis, and Michigan.