Holder of the:

• Lyda Hill Deanship of the School of Public Health

Saad B. Omer, M.B.B.S, M.P.H., Ph.D., FIDSA, an internationally recognized epidemiologist and policy adviser whose work has positively impacted communities around the world, became the Founding Dean of the Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health in June 2023.

Dr. Omer joined UT Southwestern from Yale University, where he was inaugural Director of the Yale Institute for Global Health. He served as the Harvey and Kate Cushing Professor of Medicine in Infectious Diseases at the Yale School of Medicine and Professor of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases at the Yale School of Public Health. Previously he was the William H. Foege Chair of Global Health at Emory University and Associate Director of the Institute for Vaccine Safety at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

His research includes epidemiology of respiratory viruses such as influenza, RSV, and SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19); vaccine trials, immunization coverage, and acceptance; and public health preparedness strategies to effectively respond to large emerging and reemerging infectious disease outbreaks. Dr. Omer’s work has been cited in global and country-specific public health policy, practices, and legislation.

He has served on the boards of trustees of Gavi, the Sabin Vaccine Institute, and on advisory panels including the World Health Organization Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Vaccines, U.S. National Vaccine Advisory Committee, the Presidential Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria-Vaccine Innovation Working Group, and multiple National Academy of Medicine panels. As part of the WHO’s working group on COVID-19 vaccines, Dr. Omer played a leading role in drafting the prioritization road map for global vaccine allocation.

In 2022, Dr. Omer was elected to the National Academy of Medicine.

Dr. Omer received his medical education at the Aga Khan University Medical College in Pakistan. He completed an M.P.H. and a Ph.D. in global disease epidemiology and control at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.