Newsroom

CORVALLIS, Ore. - Tammy Bray, dean of the College of Public Health and Human Sciences and executive dean of the Division of Health Sciences at Oregon State University, announced today that she will step down from her position following a national search for her replacement.

Under Bray's leadership, the College of Public Health and Human Sciences, the fastest-growing college at OSU, achieved national accreditation in 2014, becoming Oregon's first and only accredited college of public health.

"I am grateful to serve and be a part of such a remarkable community of alumni, students, faculty and staff," Bray said of her 13-year tenure. "Together, we did the impossible and built the first accredited college of public health in a land grant institution for Oregonians."

The college's funding from grants and contracts under Bray increased sixfold, from $3 million in 2002 to more than $18 million in 2014. Bray also oversaw the creation of new centers dedicated to research into healthy children and families; aging; food and nutrition; and global health.

"Dean Bray is a visionary leader and builder of innovative education and research programs that are focused on the future of public health and well-being," said OSU President Ed Ray. "Her contributions to Oregon State University and public health in Oregon and globally form a significant and long-lasting legacy."

Among Bray's accomplishments:

• Raising nearly $40 million to construct the Hallie E. Ford Center for Healthy Children and Families; renovate the food and nutrition lab for the Moore Family Center for Whole Grain Foods, Nutrition and Preventive Health; support 11 endowed faculty positions; and provide about $500,000 annually for student scholarships.

• Hiring more than 40 new faculty members since 2008.

• Establishing The Oregon Center for Health Innovation to connect academic, industry and community partners for work on a wide range of preventive health and workforce development projects.

• Integrating the college's outreach efforts with the OSU Extension Service, specifically the Family and Community Health Program and the 4-H program, to improve community health in Oregon and beyond.

"I'm thankful for the opportunity to work with Dean Bray in building a distinct and preeminent college at OSU," said Provost Sabah Randhawa. "There has never been a dull moment in keeping up with her ideas. Her strength is to follow through with her ideas and make them a reality."

As a professor, Bray's research expertise has been in antioxidants and free radical metabolism in the prevention of diabetes, as well as the role that diet plays in gene expressions that influence a person's susceptibility to chronic disease. In the future, she plans to focus her energies on high-impact projects related to health innovation, leadership and globalization. 

"I view the transition in my role as dean as a relay exchange in track," Bray said. "I'm going to keep running as fast as I can and will pass the baton to new leaders to move our vision forward."

A native of Taiwan, Bray came to OSU from Ohio State University in 2002 as a professor of nutrition and as associate dean for research and international studies. She earned her Ph.D. and master's degree from Washington State University and her B.S. from Fu-Jen University in Taipei, Taiwan. 

Bray is a member of the Global Health Committee in the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) and part of the design team of the National 4-H Council, charged with improving the culture of health in America.

She served 10 years on the external advisory council for the National Space Biomedical Research Institute at NASA. She was president of the Society for Free Radicals in Biology and Medicine; president of the Canadian Society for Nutritional Sciences; treasurer of the Society of Experimental Biology and Medicine; and a member of the directors of the national Board of Human Sciences. She also co-chaired the committee to produce the Oregon Health Improvement Plan for the Oregon Health Policy Board under the then-new Oregon Health Authority in 2010.

Bray has established an endowment through the OSU Foundation to further her passions of leadership, innovation and globalization. The endowment will allow the college to bring high-profile health leaders to campus for the benefit of students and faculty alike and to provide pilot funding for innovative approaches to teaching or research. To learn more about this endowment, visit http://health.oregonstate.edu/giving.

Randhawa said OSU will launch a national search for a new dean this fall.