Tamika D. Gilreath, PhD, has been named the associate dean of faculty affairs for the Texas A&M University School of Public Health. She will assume her new duties on Sept. 1.
Gilreath is currently a professor in the Health Education Division of the Department of Health and Kinesiology, which will merge with the School of Public Health’s Department of Health Behavior effective Sept. 1. She also serves as the associate director of the Center for Health Equity & Evaluation Research.
“Dr. Gilreath is one of the many wonderful faculty, staff and students joining the School of Public Health as part of the MGT Path Forward and she is already making an impact,” said School of Public Health Dean Shawn Gibbs. “She has laid out a great vision for the associate dean of faculty affairs role and how it can continue to help bring the school together as we finalize our merger. I am looking forward to working with her as part of the school’s leadership team.”
Gilreath earned her PhD in biobehavioral health from Pennsylvania State University, her master’s degree in general psychology from Virginia State University, and her bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary science from Virginia Commonwealth University.
“Because of my background, I have exposure to public health ideals and principles,” Gilreath said. “I am really excited because I think I can be a bridge between the School of Public Health and the individuals who are coming over from Health Education. I believe I have an understanding across the spectrum as my research is aligned with core values of public health and health education.”
In her role as associate dean of faculty affairs, Gilreath has multiple goals she will work to accomplish including recruitment of new faculty members and consistent onboarding.
“This comes from being a faculty member at multiple institutions,” Gilreath said of her goals. “Consistent onboarding has been a concern. How do we acclimate people and do it quickly? What are the best practices in ensuring new faculty feel prepared to participate?
“I am passionate about recruitment and retention, particularly for women and minorities. That’s my starting vision and I think the School of Public Health is a place that I can do that.”
Prior to joining the faculty at Texas A&M, Gilreath was an assistant professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Southern California (2009-16) and was a postdoctoral fellow in the Division of Prevention and Community Research in the Department of Psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine (2007-09).
Gilreath’s expertise and interest areas include adolescent behavioral health, comorbidity of behavioral health risks, disparities in vulnerable populations, racial/ethnic minorities, military-connected youth and families, and sexual minorities.
“I am not a person who comes in thinking that I know it all,” Gilreath said. “We’re all going to grow and learn together. I am excited about the opportunity and looking forward to serving in this capacity.”