Third Dean Candidate's Visit and Open Presentation Set for Feb. 25

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Brian A. Primack

Brian A. Primack, a candidate for the position of dean of the College of Education and Health Professions at the University of Arkansas, will visit campus and give a 30- to 40-minute public presentation from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 25, in the Reynolds Center Auditorium.

The topic will be "What do you see as your future vision of the College of Education and Health Professions?" A reception will follow the presentation.

Primack is one of three finalists chosen by a search committee chaired by Donald Judges, vice provost for distance education. Information about the three candidates is available on the dean search website.

All College of Education and Health Professions faculty, staff and students are encouraged to attend. Interested alumni, friends and community members are also welcome. Attendees can provide feedback to the search committee through a form on the committee website.

Primack is the dean of the Honors College at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, where he is the Bernice L. and Morton S. Lerner Endowed Chair; a professor with tenure of medicine, pediatrics, and clinical and translational science; and the director of the Center for Research on Media, Technology and Health.

Primack joined the University of Pittsburgh in 2002 and held positions that include assistant professor, affiliated faculty member, core faculty member, director of the Program for Research on Media and Health, associate professor, and assistant vice chancellor for Research on Health and Society. He also worked as a physician at four facilities in Pittsburgh from 2002 to 2016.

At the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland, Primack served as an instructor of mathematics from 1993 to 1995. He taught at the American International School of Niamey in Niger, West Africa, from 1992 to 1993.

Primack earned a doctorate in clinical and translational science from the University of Pittsburgh in 2011; a master's degree in clinical and translational science from the same institution in 2008; a medical doctorate, summa cum laude, from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1999; a master's degree in human development, psychology and education from Harvard University in 1993; and a bachelor's degree in English and mathematics, magna cum laude, from Yale University in 1991.

The selected candidate will fill the Henry G. Hotz Endowed Dean's Chair, which was funded by a $1.5 million gift from Palmer and Marie Hotz of Foster City, California, and a $2 million gift from the Walton Family Foundation. The chair was named in honor of Palmer and Hartman Hotz's father, Henry G. Hotz, who served as the college's fourth dean. The chair provides resources to further the dean's contribution to teaching, research and public service.

The dean search committee members include Lisa Bowers, Freddie Bowles, Michelle Gray, Meredith Green, Kelly Vowell Johnson, Jack Kern, Wen-Juo Lo, Ketevan Mamiseishvili, Brandi Maples, Bob Maranto, Sherry Muir, Cheryl Murphy and Katy Nelson.

About the College of Education and Health Professions: The College of Education and Health Professions offers advanced academic degrees as well as professional development opportunities and learning communities in service to the education and health systems of Arkansas and beyond.