News and Organization Updates

New roles for faculty, staff support SPHHP growth, efficiency

SPHHP has named four faculty and staff to new roles as key strategic partners for Dean Jean Wactawski-Wende. These organizational changes will support the school’s growth and help achieve its goal of becoming one of the best public health schools in the country.

Kim Krytus, PhD, MPH/MSW, CPH

Assistant dean, director of graduate public health programs

In her new role, Krytus has been appointed with the mission of helping students successfully attain the knowledge and skills they need in their program to achieve their public health career goals, to become outstanding public health professionals and leaders in the field.

Key Responsibilities

  • Managing the Master of Public Health (MPH) program, including curriculum, student services and program assessment.
  • Managing SPHHP’s public health accreditation with the Council on Education for Public Health.
  • Facilitating public health graduate student practice-based education and experiences.
  • Connecting graduate public health students to community partners to meet partners’ needs for knowledge and skills from public health trained students and address public health issues locally and regionally.
  • Coordinating public health workforce development, alumni engagement and career services for graduate public health programs.

Previously, Krytus was the SPHHP director of MPH initiatives. She also brings years of public health practice to her role, adding an informed understanding of what students will experience as public health professionals.

Education

  • PhD, higher education, University at Buffalo       
  • MPH, health behavior, University at Buffalo
  • MSW, health, mental health and disability, University at Buffalo
  • B.A., psychology, University at Buffalo

Awards

  • Dean’s Award, University at Buffalo School of Public Health and Health Professions, 2014 and 2013

Heather Orom, PhD

Associate dean of equity, diversity and inclusion

Key Responsibilities

  • Fostering and developing SPHHP initiatives to promote a diverse student body and faculty and an inclusive climate.
  • Coordinating diversity and inclusion related strategic planning for SPHHP.
  • Representing SPHHP on university-wide diversity and inclusion initiatives.
  • Engaging with community partners to promote health equity in Western New York.
  • Helping create learning opportunities that promote student, faculty, and community member participation in reducing health disparities.

Previously, Orom was the SPHHP assistant dean for equity, diversity and inclusion.

Research Focus

  • Health disparities in cancer prevention and treatment, and the meaning of uncertainty in illness risk perception for risk-perception measurement and risk messaging.

Community Activities

  • Member of the African American Health Disparities Task Force, a coalition of faith, community, healthcare and academic leaders whose goal is the eliminate health disparities among African Americans living in Buffalo.
  • Member of the planning team for Project Rainfall, an East Side Buffalo urban farm social enterprise.

Education

  • Postdoctoral fellow, Wayne State University and Karmanos Cancer Institute
  • PhD, social and personality psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago
  • BA, comparative literature, Marlboro College

Sarahmona Przybyla, PhD, MPH

Assistant dean, director of undergraduate public health programs

Key Responsibilities

  • Managing the development and growth of the bachelor of science in public health major and public health minor.
  • Supporting the increase in course offerings in the undergraduate public health program.
  • Managing current and new faculty members who provide instruction in the undergraduate public health program.
  • Serving as the UB representative for the ASPPH Undergraduate Network.

Previously, Przybyla was the SPHHP interim director of undergraduate public health programs since April 2018.  

Research Focus

Primary and secondary prevention of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections; impact of substance use on sexual risk behavior and medication adherence; nonmedical prescription drug use; patient-provider communication; and community-based participatory research.

Education

  • PhD, health behavior and health education, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • MPH, health behavior and health education, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • Interdisciplinary certificate in health disparities, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • BA, health and society, University of Rochester

Jillian Reading, PhD

Assistant dean, director of student affairs

Key Responsibilities

  • Collaborating with university- and school-level administrators to meet enrollment and student-success goals.
  • Overseeing academic and student services for several hundred first-year and transfer students in multiple programs.
  • Serving as lead advisor/advising administrator for the unit.
  • Overseeing SPHHP recruitment efforts at the graduate and undergraduate levels.
  • Developing the vision for and executing the creation and dissemination of school-wide recruitment materials.
  • Forming relationships with students, parents/families and others on campus (and beyond) to ensure a world-class student experience for all SPHHP students.
 
Previously, Reading was the SPHHP interim director of graduate recruitment and director of undergraduate recruitment and student services. She also gained meaningful knowledge of the student experience at UB while working in the advising/student services world for nearly a decade.
 
Education
  • PhD, educational studies, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
  • EdM., higher education administration, University at Buffalo
  • BA, psychology, University at Buffalo