Robert W. Amler, M.D.

Dean Robert W. Amler, MD is a public health administrator, researcher, and practicing physician. Dean Amler secured the first full CEPH accreditation for the School of Public Health. He reorganized the academic structure, opened new revenue streams, reinvested assets toward strategic growth, and inaugurated new centers of excellence. He expanded a vibrant outreach program, linking 30 community service organizations, to encompass a diverse catchment area more populous than 20 States. He appointed nine local health commissioners/ directors to the Public Health Practice Council which integrates curriculum development with health workforce priorities and needed competencies.

Dr. Amler was appointed by New York’s governor to chair the regional advisory committee for the “Berger” hospital commission that mandated realignments, decertifications, and some closures. He has consulted for numerous health care facilities in organization and marketing strategy, graduate medical education, regional service integration, and disaster preparedness.

Dr. Amler previously held the post of Regional Health Administrator, US Dept of Health and Human Services, where he secured supplemental SCHIP funding for three States. He also oversaw hospital preparedness and directed federal emergency medical assets during heightened threats against New York City, and coordinated medical monitoring for the federal anthrax response. As chief medical officer at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)’s agency for toxic substances, he launched a nationwide program and chaired a White House Task Force committee to protect children from chemical hazards. He served on US missions to Central America, the Far East, and the interior of Russia, and created an international network of specialty clinics that has since expanded to four continents. He also led development of the evidence-based health risk and disease prevention models that underlie standards for government, military, and industry.

A practicing physician, Dr. Amler is a graduate of Dartmouth College, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, and the CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service, with residencies at Bellevue Hospital and St. Lukes–Roosevelt Hospital. He is a Board member of the Westchester County Association, Fellow and former Chapter President of the American Academy of Pediatrics and Fellow of the American College of Preventive Medicine, New York Academy of Medicine, and member American College of Physician Executives. He is co author of more than 230 publications. He was his medical school’s Distinguished Alumnus of the Year in 2005.