Melissa D. Begg became Dean of the Columbia School of Social Work on September 1, 2019. A population health scientist with more than 30 years of experience, she is deeply committed to advancing rigorous science in service of human health and well-being through research, education, practice, and cross-disciplinary collaboration. Born and raised in Queens, New York, Dr. Begg first joined Columbia as an Assistant Professor of Public Health (Biostatistics) in 1989, following receipt of her ScD from the Harvard School of Public Health.
Her early research addressed technical methods for evaluating associations from correlated data—such as sibling and family studies—especially as applied to early-life determinants of adult health. Throughout her career, Dr. Begg has led numerous educational and career development initiatives. She directed two NIH-funded training programs to promote diversity: one for undergraduates from under-represented groups exploring careers in the population health sciences, and one supporting under-represented junior faculty through grant-writing guidance and mentorship. She championed major reforms to the Columbia MPH curriculum emphasizing interdisciplinary engagement and leadership development, and played a central role in Columbia's first cultural competency training program for MPH students.
Dr. Begg's honors include the 2006 University-wide Presidential Award for Outstanding Teaching, the 2013 ASPPH/Pfizer Award for Teaching Excellence, the Lagakos Distinguished Alumni Award in Biostatistics from Harvard, and election as a Fellow of the American Statistical Association. She has served as Vice Provost for Academic Programs at Columbia and Co-Director of the Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research.
Dr. Begg received a BS degree in Mathematics from Fairfield University and a ScD in Biostatistics from the Harvard School of Public Health.