James J. O'Brien, Ph.D., served as vice dean, and following the sudden death of Dean Sheila Smythe in November of 2003, served as acting dean of the School of Public Health (the predecessor of the School of Health Sciences and Practice) from 2003-2005.

Dr. O'Brien, who holds a B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Fordham University, had a long career in health care planning and administration. When he was recruited as vice dean of the Graduate School of Health Sciences, he was vice president of government and community affairs at Empire Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Manhattan. He had worked there since 1978, a tenure that included a stint as vice president of administration. Previous executive positions at the New York State Study for a Unified Hospital Data system, Inc., a consortium of producers and users of hospital data based in New York City, and the New York-Pennsylvania Health Planning Council in Binghamton, N.Y., contributed to his significant background in the health care arena.

Former vice chair of the New York State Advisory Council on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse Services, Dr. O'Brien served on the advisory board of the Fordham Institute on Managed Care and Social Work. He also was a former president of Nassau-Suffolk Health Systems Agency and has been a co-chair or member of numerous other commissions and advisory boards that address public health issues. He previously was on the faculty of Columbia University. He was a member of the American Public Health Association and the New York State Public Health Association.