Alumna appointed Dean of School of Public Health and Information Sciences at UofL

Alumna Kathryn Cardarelli, PhD, MPH, was appointed Dean of the School of Public Health and Information Sciences (SPHIS) at the University of Louisville.  

Cardarelli, a 2004 UTHealth Houston School of Public Health graduate, succeeds School of Public Health alumnus and former Dean of SPHIS Craig Blakely, PhD, MPH.  

Cardarelli obtained her PhD with a concentration in epidemiology at UTHealth Houston and acknowledged this as the cornerstone of launching her successful career as a researcher, professor, and Dean. "My PhD was foundational to my career in academic public health, and the diverse exposure to transdisciplinary science was integral to my development," said Cardarelli. 

In her role as Dean of SPHIS, Cardarelli aspires to advance the school's development by promoting innovative research and fostering academic partnerships to leverage the school's impact. She aims to adopt the perspective of her faculty, staff, students, and alum network to gain insight into their priorities and incorporate them in the school's growth.  
"I hope to leverage the robust community-academic partnerships that the school has built over the last ten years to engage in impactful health equity research," Cardarelli stated. "I am also excited to build upon the existing high-quality educational programs to meet the ever-changing needs of the public health workforce." 

In the last 15 years, Cardarelli has held several leadership roles, including research center director, department chair, associate dean, and assistant provost, and still holds the title of senior associate provost at the University of Kentucky. She is a senior researcher and public health professional who has devoted her career to advancing the field. "It is humbling to work with vulnerable populations to design, implement, and evaluate interventions to address America's most pervasive health inequities." Cardarelli has served with the Kentucky chapter of the American Council on Education's Women's Network to advance women's footprints in higher education and served on the Association of Schools and Programs in Public Health's expert panel on enhancing anti-racism in public health curricula.  

"Each position has offered unique challenges, and I have thrived in complex academic environments. The role of higher education in our society has never been more important," Cardarelli said.