SHEILA M. SMYTHE
Executive Vice President and Dean, School of Public Health
By Ellen F. Carr
When she died on November 4th, suddenly and tragically of a heart attack, it was as if the entire campus had died in silent tribute. Shock, disbelief and incredible sadness registered in corridors and classrooms. Within hours, many who felt the loss of Sheila M. Smythe in a deeply personal way would attend a memorial Mass celebrated by Msgr. Barrett, university president.
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Sheila M. Smythe |
What can be said that does not somehow diminish the breadth and depth of Sheila Smythe? She was, in a word, remarkable. Upon meeting her, a tall, imposing figure with ever-present dignity, one measured substance. She was a consummate professional, keenly intelligent, dynamic, focused and incredibly knowledgeable about public health issues. And while she would not suffer fools easily, she was not one to self-aggrandize either. She inspired people and had integrity. Among her faults, well, she frequently took on challenges that no reasonable person would be expected to accomplish in half the time, leaving loyal faculty to work warp speed to honor her commitments. Dean Smythe lived an exemplary life, one dedicated to the School of Public Health particularly, and to public health and education generally. Her friendship, whether it be professional or personal, was real and meaningful.
Born the only child of Irish immigrant parents, equipped with degrees from Creighton University, Manhattanville College and Columbia University, Sheila Smythe rose through the ranks of corporate America and while doing so, became a national resource in public health policy. Before joining the College in 1990, she was chief health policy advisor for the U.S. General Accounting Office in Washington, D.C.; previously, she was president and chief operating officer of Empire Blue Cross /Blue Shield.
From her earliest years, Dean Smythe's resume demonstrated the priority of service. She advised two New York City mayors on subjects as diverse as hospital fiscal operations and human services restructuring. She counseled the governor on healthcare reform. Indeed, until the time of her death, she generously lent her expertise to countless professional, business, educational and community organizations, often as a member or chair of a board of directors. Among them were Mutual of America Life Insurance Company, March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation, Catholic Charities USA, Visiting Nurse Services in Westchester, Dominican Academy, Manhattanville College, New York City Health Systems Agency and the Hudson Valley Health Systems Agency. With the aim of advancing the healthcare system, she chaired or served as a member of numerous com- missions, task forces and agencies, including the New York State Hospital Review and Planning Council.
When Dean Smythe joined the College, she was charged to develop programs and policies that would assure the growth, vitality and prominence of the Graduate School of Health Sciences, as it was then known. She did so with distinction. Under her leadership, enrollment doubled, faculty grew and strengthened, and important programs such as physical therapy, speech-language pathology and most recently, a doctorate in epidemiology, were added to the curriculum.
Dean Smythe was an influential player on the national public health stage and had an astonishing network of colleagues in leadership positions. These personal contacts opened doors for the School of Public Health and the university. Distinguished persons were persuaded to lecture or were prevailed upon for insights that guided the development of curriculum relevant to emerging public health needs.
Dean Smythe spearheaded the graduate school's move to a new home in the Learning Center, was a driving force in the development of the Center for Interactive Learning, and recommended changing the name of the graduate school to the School of Public Health in 2002. Through conferences convened on issues such as bioterrorism and immigrant population health, long before they were newsworthy, Dean Smythe positioned her school as a major educational force and regional resource in the healthcare field. Ever responsive to the needs of employed students, she created satellite locations for the School of Public Health in Danbury, Conn., and Suffern, N.Y.
At the university, Dean Smythe was professor of health policy and economics and president of The Partnership for a Healthy Population, which focused on improving community health. Last year, Westchester County honored her with its first Distinguished Public Health Service Award. A crowning achievement, attained weeks before her death, was the School of Public Health's initial accreditation by the Council on Education for Public Health. The school joins a select group of 34 CEPH-accredited schools nationwide.
Dean Smythe was one of only 15 members comprising the Committee on Educating Public Health Professionals for the 21st Century, charged by the Institute of Medicine of The National Academies to develop an educational, training and research framework for schools of public health, with a goal of improving population health. Her most recent appointment was to a national committee of educators working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to promote research focused on disease prevention.
To say Dean Sheila M. Smythe will be missed is no measure of the extent of her loss.