McBride named associate dean for public health

Timothy McBride, Ph.D., professor, has been named the first associate dean for public health at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work according to Edward F. Lawlor, Ph.D., dean and the William E. Gordon Distinguished Professor.

In this role, McBride will lead the effort to establish the Brown School’s Master of Public Health degree program from student recruitment to curriculum and student services. The program plans to enroll its first class in the fall of 2009.

“We are fortunate to have Tim’s commitment and expertise for building this ambitious new program in professional education,” Lawlor says.

McBride joined the faculty of the Brown School earlier this year. He is an influential health policy analyst and leading health economist shaping the national agenda in rural health care, health insurance, Medicare policy and access to health care.

McBride’s current research focuses on the uninsured, Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D in rural areas, health reform at the state and national levels, access to care for children with special health care needs, and long-term social security and Medicare reform. He is a member of the Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI) Health Panel that provides expert advice on rural health issues to the U.S. Congress and other policymakers.

Prior to joining the University, McBride served as a professor of health policy and management at Saint Louis University’s School of Public Health, where he also was the director of the school’s health policy and doctoral programs.

McBride earned his doctorate in economics from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.