The College of Health Sciences named Michael Mann director of the School of Public and Population Health.
Mann has been acting as the interim leader of the school since summer 2022 and will officially assume the director role July 23, 2023.
Drawn to the school’s mission of strengthening and improving the health of Idahoans, Mann said he enjoys working with those that “devote themselves to ensuring the health and wellbeing of others.”
“My role is largely about helping good people do their best work — especially work that creates new opportunities for folks to build a healthy, happy life for themselves, their families and their neighbors,” he said.
Dean of the College of Health Sciences Tim Dunnagan says Mann has a breadth of experience in research, education and leadership.
“While it is exciting to find someone who excels in one of these areas, it is rare to find someone who can do all three,” Dunnagan said. “Ultimately, his ability to translate these attributes with the faculty, staff and students in the school, college and university creates great potential for the future.”
After living in Idaho for the last five years, Mann hopes to better connect with Idahoans across the state in his new role. As part of this goal, Mann is planning what he calls a “listening tour” to learn the “real hopes and desires” of Idahoans — especially as they relate to public health.
“We can’t do a good job of serving the state if we don’t know it well and love it deeply,” Mann said. “Doing so requires spending time together, listening to each other and helping each other.”
Prior to his interim appointment, Mann served as the associate divisional dean of the School of Public and Population Health starting in 2019.
Mann earned his Ph.D. in health and human behavior from the University of Florida in 2007. Before joining Boise State University, he was an associate professor with the School of Public Health at West Virginia University.
Mann spent nearly 20 years working as a teacher, principal, regional director, operations leader and program founder in the alternative school setting.