Columbia Names Mailman School Dean

Columbia University has named a Johns Hopkins University professor, Dr. Linda Fried, dean of the Mailman School of Public Health following a year-long search.

Dr. Fried succeeds Dr. Allan Rosenfield, a pioneer in the field of public health, who announced his resignation last year. Dr. Rosenfield, who served as dean for 22 years, suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease.

"Allan Rosenfield has made Columbia and the Mailman School both a local and global force," the university's president, Lee Bollinger, said in a statement.

Dr. Fried, who will take over as dean in May, is currently a professor of medicine, epidemiology, health policy, and nursing at Johns Hopkins.

An expert in aging, she also is director of the Johns Hopkins Center on Aging and Health. A native New Yorker, Dr. Fried graduated from Hunter College High School. At Columbia, Dr. Fried will also be a professor of epidemiology, the university said. Dr. Rosenfield will stay on as a professor of public health and obstetrics and gynecology.

Mailman is the only accredited school of public health in New York City.