Boris D. Lushniak MD, MPH

Boris D. Lushniak, MD, MPH, has been dean of the University of Maryland School of Public Health since January 2017. He served as professor and chair of the Department of Preventive Medicine and Biostatistics and Professor of Dermatology, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) in Bethesda, Maryland before joining UMD.

Dr. Lushniak was the U.S. Deputy Surgeon General from November 2010 to September 2015, assisting the Surgeon General in articulating the best available scientific information to the public to improve personal health and the health of the nation. He also oversaw the operations of the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps, comprised of approximately 6,700 uniformed health officers who serve in locations around the world to promote, protect, and advance the health and safety of our nation.

Dr. Lushniak served as Acting Surgeon General from July 2013 to December 2014 and was responsible for the release of the 50th Anniversary Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking and Health and the first-ever Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent Skin Cancer. From January to March 2015, he served as commander of the USPHS Monrovia Medical Unit in Liberia, the only U.S. government hospital providing care to Ebola patients.

Dr. Lushniak began his USPHS career in 1988 in the Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) and initially served with the CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in Cincinnati, Ohio where he conducted epidemiological investigations of workplace hazards. In 1993, he completed a dermatology residency at the University of Cincinnati and established an occupational skin disease program at NIOSH.