Earlier this month, Jennifer Sacheck became the new chair of the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences — the School of Public Health’s largest department.
Sacheck has decades of experience in nutrition, exercise science and community engagement. She previously served as the chair of the Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences at the George Washington University.
SPH Dean Ashish Jha announced Sachek’s appointment in October, marking the end of a months-long search for a new BSS chair after Christopher Kahler ’91 left the role in 2023 to become the director of the Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies.
Until Sacheck’s appointment, the role was filled by interim chairs Katie Biello, chair of epidemiology and professor of behavioral and social science, and Malabika Sarker, the associate dean of global engagement and a professor of the practice of behavioral and social sciences.
“Being able to recruit someone who had actually been a department chair for six years and grown the department at George Washington University was very desirable to us,” said Ira Wilson, the associate provost for academic space, professor of medicine and the former chair of the Department of Health Services, Policy and Practice. Wilson led the search committee for the position.
Much of Sacheck’s work at George Washington University explored the relationship between adolescent nutrition, physical activity, health outcomes and socioemotional well-being using in-person, school-based methods. Her recent research focused on the promotion of skill development and physical activity.
Sacheck hopes to pursue similar avenues at Brown.
“I could see myself growing roots here and doing a lot of things I did at G.W. on a smaller scale, but here on a larger scale and with some really meaningful impact,” Sacheck said.
Sarker hopes that Sachek “will bring that skill of how to engage the young,” she said. “It’s the youth, even the adolescents who are the future of this world.”
Sachek has also expressed interest in exploring the health and well-being of undergraduate students at Brown. She recently led a study that examined the health challenges faced by first-year college students, including sleep quality, food insecurity and stress.
But supporting and diversifying the department’s scholarship is not Sachek’s only goal. The new chair also sees an opportunity to expand Brown’s educational offerings in nutrition, food systems and food policy.
Sachek previously taught undergraduate nutrition courses at George Washington University, an opportunity she says she hopes to continue at Brown.
Sacheck begins her role amid uncertainty among researchers nationwide. Earlier this month, the National Institute of Health announced that “indirect costs” of grants — expenses not directly related to research, such as facilities and administrative costs — would be capped at 15%. Brown has joined other universities in a lawsuit contesting the move.
But Sacheck said any potential challenges with funding will not stop her “from submitting grants and pulling together fabulous research teams in that area and studying what we feel is most important to elevate public health for all.”
“I want to make everyone healthy,” Sacheck added. “And that will not change regardless of what is being funded.”
Many of her colleagues are confident in her ability to lead the department and the school through the situation.
Sacheck “will be a wise voice in the decision-making that happens going forward,” Wilson said.
“Inherently, she’s a leader,” Sarker added.
