Bowman appointed interim dean of Purdue’s College of Health and Human Sciences

He replaces Dean Marion Underwood, who was named provost at Colorado State University on Tuesday

Purdue University health sciences professor Aaron Bowman, currently head of the School of Health Sciences, has been appointed interim dean of Purdue’s College of Health and Human Sciences, effective Nov. 1. He will replace Marion Underwood, who was announced Tuesday (Oct. 3) as the next provost and executive vice president of academic affairs at Colorado State University.

Bowman, who arrived at Purdue in 2018 to become head of the School of Health Sciences, has a lengthy list of scholarly achievements. He is president-elect of the International Neurotoxicology Association and also is a member of the Purdue Institute for Integrative Neuroscience. As a researcher and teacher, he has focused his scholarly efforts across the fields of genetics, pharmacology, biochemistry, and cell and developmental biology to understand the role of gene-environment interactions between metal exposure and neurodegenerative diseases.

“Please join me in welcoming Professor Bowman to this role,” said Patrick Wolfe, Purdue provost and executive vice president for academic affairs and diversity, in announcing the appointment. “I know Professor Bowman is energized and eager to listen and to learn as together we prepare for even more and greater giant leaps on behalf of Purdue and its efforts across the health and human sciences.”

Additional Information

• Purdue College of Health and Human Sciences
• Purdue School of Health Sciences
• Marion Underwood named CSU provost and executive vice president
• Aaron Bowman, professor and head, School of Health Sciences

Bowman will start as interim dean of HHS on Nov. 1, enabling a smooth transition in advance of the college’s area committee meeting and Underwood’s Jan. 1 start date at CSU, Wolfe said. Details of a search for the next HHS dean will be announced in due course, as will an acting head of Purdue’s School of Health Sciences.

“These indeed are exciting times for Purdue and the tremendous faculty and staff we have in the College of Health and Human Sciences,” Bowman said. “Together, we remain focused on our amazing students and the incredible privilege we have in advancing the diverse and important mission of HHS on their behalf — to equip the next generation of leaders in the fields human behavior, health and quality of life.”

Bowman served on the faculty at Vanderbilt University before coming to Purdue five years ago. He earned his PhD in biomedical sciences from the University of California San Diego after graduating cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in microbiology from Brigham Young University.

Wolfe expressed his gratitude for Underwood’s leadership at HHS since she arrived at Purdue in 2018, fostering the college’s growth through its diverse set of disciplines spanning human behavior, health and quality of life.

“Dean Underwood and her team have contributed significantly to Purdue’s core academic mission and to our excellence at scale,” Wolfe said. “She has championed engagement through HHS Extension and other efforts with our local, regional and national leaders in advancing solutions critical to our health care systems.”

Wolfe also acknowledged the pivotal role Underwood played on the Protect Purdue team, ensuring the university successfully provided an impactful and valuable residential experience for students in navigating the unprecedented public health challenge during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Before coming to Purdue, Underwood served as dean of graduate studies and associate provost at the University of Texas at Dallas. She graduated from Wellesley College with a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 1986 and received her master’s and doctoral degrees in clinical psychology from Duke University in 1987 and 1991, respectively.

Writer: Phillip Fiorini, pfiorini@purdue.edu, 765-430-6189