Jean Wactawski-Wende, PhD, dean Of the School of Public Health and Health Professions and SUNY Distinguished Professor, is an epidemiologist who focuses her research on understanding factors that influence women's health. With more than 35 years of research experience, she is currently the principal investigator of UB's Women's Health Initiative (WHI) Center and also leads the WHI Northeast Regional Center. Initiated in 1993, the WHI is an NIH-funded, multi-centered study that involves both randomized clinical trials and an observational longitudinal study examining the major factors influencing morbidity and mortality in older women. She has served in various leadership roles in WHI, including chair of the WHI Steering Committee and chair of the Publications Committee. Results of that work have been far reaching, impacting our understanding of long-term health in older women.

In addition to the WHI, she has been principal investigator on dozens of research studies funded by the NIH and other federal agencies. Her interests include research on risk factors and prevention of cancer, osteoporosis and periodontal disease in postmenopausal women. Her current research focuses on the oral microbiome and health outcomes. She has also conducted several studies on reproductive health issues in younger women. As part of this work, she has led several large-scale prevention clinical trials in women. As PI, she has led research studies that include funding of over $40M. Including her funding as Co-I, she has brought in over $50M in funding to UB.

She has served in many leadership roles at the University. She is currently serving as dean of the School of Public Health and Health Professions. Immediately prior to serving in this role, she served as vice provost for Strategic Initiatives and Research Advancement. In that role she coordinated and oversaw the University at Buffalo Strategic Strengths, the platform for interdisciplinary and collaborative research. Encompassing the breadth and depth of research at UB, the Strategic Strengths provided the vision and guidance to achieve UB’s Top 25 ambition. Dr. Wactawski-Wende also co-founded the UB Office for Research Advancement, which provides support for faculty to pursue large-scale, multi-investigator, cross-disciplinary research grants of institutional priority. In 2020, she was awarded the President's Medal for her leadership in the field of women’s health.

• PhD, Experimental Pathology (Epidemiology), State University of New York at Buffalo, 1989
• MS, Natural Sciences (Epidemiology), State University of New York at Buffalo, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center Division, 1983
  
• BA, Biology, Canisius College, 1981
  

• American College of Epidemiology (ACE)
• American Epidemiological Society (AES)
• American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR)
• North American Menopause Society (NAMS)
• Society for Epidemiologic Research (SER)