CDC division director named public health dean

Wayne Giles

Wayne Giles, director of the Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will become dean of the School of Public Health Sept. 1, pending approval by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees.

Giles, 56, succeeds Paul Brandt-Rauf, who was dean of the school from 2008 to January 2017.

The Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention works to improve cardiovascular health through public health strategies and policies that promote healthy lifestyles and behaviors, healthy environments and communities, as well as improve access to early and affordable detection and treatment.

Giles’ past research and scientific work includes examining the prevalence of hypertension in Africa, studying racial differences in stroke incidence and leading clinical trials evaluating the effectiveness of cholesterol-lowering agents.

“The School of Public Health is a critical part of UIC and its mission is dedicated to protecting and improving the well-being of the people of Chicago, the state of Illinois, the nation, and the world through education, research, policy and service,” said Robert Barish, vice chancellor for health affairs. “I am confident that Dr. Giles will advance the mission of the college and expand its impact. He will be a great asset to our University and our local and global community.”

Giles previously led the Division of Population Health at the CDC six years. The division focuses on programmatic and research activities in community health promotion, arthritis, aging, health care utilization, and racial and ethnic disparities in health.

Giles has more than 150 publications in peer-reviewed journals. He has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the CDC’s Charles C. Shepard Award in Assessment and Epidemiology and the Jeffrey P. Koplan Award.

Giles has a bachelor’s degree in biology from Washington University in St. Louis and a master’s degree in epidemiology from the University of Maryland. He received his medical degree from Washington University in St. Louis, and completed a residency in internal medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and a residency in preventive medicine at the University of Maryland.