Kathryn E. McCollister, Ph.D., has been appointed chair of the Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, where she holds the Chen Family Endowed Chair for Population Health.

Following her tenure as interim chair, Dr. McCollister will continue leading a department she has helped shape for more than 25 years. She brings extensive experience in research, education, mentorship and academic administration, along with a deep understanding of the department’s faculty, students, programs and institutional partnerships.

“I have spent more than 25 years in this department, and I have never been more convinced of what it can do,” Dr. McCollister said. “Our faculty ask difficult, consequential questions, our staff make the work possible and our students arrive wanting to change something real. Leading them is a privilege.”

“Dr. McCollister is the perfect choice to lead the department at a time of rising opportunities and challenges in research and public health graduate education,” said David J. Lee, Ph.D., professor and former chair in the department. “The combination of her leadership skills, temperament and long-standing tenure at the Miller School will catalyze growth opportunities within the department in the coming years.”

National Leadership in Health Economics

and prevention interventions. She uses cost-effectiveness and benefit-cost analyses to evaluate programs addressing substance use disorders, mental illness and HIV and hepatitis C risk.

Her research has also examined interventions involving the criminal legal system, pregnant and parenting women, Hispanic youth and other underserved populations. By identifying which interventions offer the greatest health and societal benefits, her work helps researchers, health systems and policymakers make more informed decisions about allocating limited resources.

Dr. McCollister has served as a lead economist for several National Institutes of Health Helping to End Addiction Long-term Initiative projects, including the HEALing Communities Study, the Justice Community Opioid Innovation Network, the HEAL Prevention Cooperative and HEAL Data2Action’s Modeling and Economic Resource Center.

She is also co-principal investigator of the Criminal-Legal Economic Analysis and Resource Center within the second phase of the Justice Community Overdose Innovation Network. In addition, she directs the Methodology Core for the National Institute on Drug Abuse-funded Center for Health Economics of Treatment Interventions for Substance Use Disorder, HCV, and HIV, known as CHERISH.

Beyond her research portfolio, Dr. McCollister contributes to the field as an NIH grant peer reviewer and serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment, PLOS ONE, and Healthcare.

Her work has contributed to national efforts to address the overdose crisis, strengthen substance use treatment and prevention systems and expand the use of economic evidence in public health decision-making.

“Dr. McCollister has a remarkable ability to recognize the potential in a faculty member’s ideas and connect them with the colleagues, resources and perspectives needed to advance their program of research,” said Alberto J. Caban-Martinez, D.O., Ph.D., M.P.H., C.P.H., vice provost for research and scholarship and professor of public health sciences.

“Her leadership combines intellectual rigor, genuine warmth and collegiality and an unwavering commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration—qualities that will propel our department to the next level. She creates an environment in which investigators feel supported in pursuing ambitious questions and developing research that addresses complex public health and societal challenges,” he added.

A Commitment to the Department Community

Education, mentorship and collaboration have remained central to Dr. McCollister’s work throughout her career. She has taught health economics in the M.P.H. and M.D./M.P.H. programs for more than two decades and has mentored doctoral and master’s students across the department.

She has also served as a capstone advisor to M.D./M.P.H. students, helping future physicians understand how economics, policy and population health influence clinical care and health outcomes.

“I am delighted to congratulate Dr. McCollister on her appointment as chair of the Department of Public Health Sciences,” said Viviana E. Horigian, M.D., M.H.A., vice chair for education and professor in the department. “She has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to our students, a deep investment in faculty mentorship and a clear vision for strengthening and expanding our academic programs. Her leadership is grounded in equity, emotional intelligence and a steadfast dedication to our mission.”

“As we enter this new chapter, I am confident that she will continue building meaningful connections across education, research and service across disciplines, ensuring that our students and faculty are well positioned to address the evolving public health challenges facing our communities,” she added.

Before serving as interim chair, Dr. McCollister directed the Division of Health Services Research and Policy. In that role, she supported interdisciplinary grant development, faculty recruitment and collaborations connecting public health sciences with clinical departments and other academic units across the University.

As interim chair, she worked closely with academic and administrative teams to support the people, programs and operations that advance the department’s mission. Her experience as an investigator, educator and division leader has shaped an approach centered on collaboration, evidence-based decision-making and support for faculty, staff and students.

Guiding the Department’s Next Chapter

Dr. McCollister will build on the department’s established strengths while expanding interdisciplinary research, educational innovation and partnerships across the University, health system and broader public health community.

“As chair, my focus is on how well we talk to and work with one another,” Dr. McCollister said. “When faculty, staff and students are genuinely connected across divisions and disciplines, the science gets better and so does the experience of doing it.”

“I also want to keep expanding our access to the population and health care data that increasingly drive discovery and ensure the evidence we generate does more than inform policy,” she added. “The real measure is whether it improves health outcomes in the communities we serve. Public health challenges do not respect departmental boundaries, and neither should our response to them.”

“Dr. McCollister brings an exceptional depth of knowledge about our department, its people and its mission, along with a clear vision for how we can continue to grow in alignment with the priorities of the Miller School of Medicine and the broader University of Miami,” said Margie Jimenez, M.A., CRA, assistant chair.

“As interim chair, she fostered meaningful collaboration across our academic and administrative teams while remaining deeply committed to the success of our faculty, staff and students. Her appointment ensures continuity of leadership and positions the department to move forward with confidence, purpose and a strong foundation for continued growth, innovation and public health impact,” added Jimenez.

Written by Deycha Torres Hernández, published August 31, 2026.