WVU School of Public Health leadership updates

Dr. Clay Marsh, WVU Health Sciences chancellor and executive dean, has asked Sarah C. Woodrum, DrPH, to serve as dean for the WVU School of Public Health, effective April 8.

Erik L. Carlton, DrPH, will step down from the role of interim dean for the School of Public Health, effective Monday, April 7, and from other administrative duties effective July 1, 2025. Carlton has decided to focus on research, teaching and service in his faculty role for the School.

Woodrum is a West Virginia native who returned to the state in 2013 to serve as the chief administrative officer and senior associate dean for administration and finance with WVU’s School of Medicine. Woodrum left WVU in 2015 to serve as the chief operating officer at Mon Health Medical Center, where she had responsibility for the day-to-day management of the hospital. During that time, she maintained a faculty appointment in the WVU School of Public Health.

Woodrum returned to WVU in 2017 as senior associate dean for administration in the School of Public Health, where she oversees strategic administration and operations. In addition, she teaches leadership courses at the undergraduate and graduate level in the Department of Health Policy, Management and Leadership.

Prior to returning to Morgantown, Woodrum was vice president at NorthShore University Health System in Evanston, Illinois, where she was responsible for the Departments of Surgery, Anesthesia, OB/GYN and the Division of Cardiology. Before that, she worked in various administrative capacities within the Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation (Chicago), Northwestern Memorial Hospital (Chicago) and the BJC Health System (St. Louis).

“I look forward to working with Sarah, our public health leadership team and faculty to refine the mission and vision of the state’s only accredited public health school and to identify areas of growth that meet the public health workforce needs of the future,” Dr. Marsh said. “I would like to thank Erik for his leadership and service during this extended transition period. He is a leader and innovator in public healthcare education, and his background and research experience in healthcare administration, clinical care, and rural and Appalachian health have aided in expanding the scope and excellence of the school’s academic programs.”

Woodrum holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a master’s degree in health systems management from Rush University in Chicago, and a doctorate in public health from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is board-certified in healthcare management as a fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives.

For more information about the School of Public Health, visit publichealth.wvu.edu.