The Loma Linda University Board of Trustees appointed a new dean for the School of Public Health on Monday, February 26. The trustees voted to approve Dr. David T. Dyjack, who has been serving as interim dean of the School since July 2006, to the position. "It’s a privilege to serve in this capacity," said Dr. Dyjack, "and I look forward to working with the School in our efforts to reach our full potential."

Dr. Dyjack is highly respected, says Dr. Susanne Montgomery, the School’s associate dean for academic affairs. "I think people in the School are excited to have a decision made and to go forward with a new dean," she said. "I believe that people are warmly welcoming him."

Dr. Montgomery and Dean Dyjack have worked alongside each other as researchers for a number of years, and she says he has been a well-prepared, committed and supportive colleague. Since 1992, Dean Dyjack has worked for the School in various capacities.

For 12 years, Dean Dyjack was chair of the School’s Department of Environmental and Occupational Health. Then in 2004, he assumed new responsibilities as associate dean for public heath practice.

In 1992, Dean Dyjack earned an MSPH in industrial hygiene from the University of Utah. Four years later, he received a DrPH in occupational health from the University of Michigan. Prior to his work at Loma Linda University, Dean Dyjack’s career included positions such as visiting scholar at Beijing Medical University, in the People’s Republic of China; industrial hygienist intern for Exxon Company USA in Houston, Texas; environmental scientist at Dames and Moore in Washington, D.C.; and project manager at Biospherics Inc. in Beltsville, Md.