Dr. Jay Butler named dean of the UAA College of Health

November 7, 2024

University of Alaska Anchorage Provost Denise Runge has announced that Dr. Jay Butler will serve as the next dean of the UAA College of Health, beginning Dec. 28.

Butler brings a distinguished career in public health and infectious disease, including deep ties to Alaska’s health landscape. He previously served as Alaska’s chief medical officer and state epidemiologist, as well as chief of the Section of Epidemiology within the Division of Public Health from 2007 to 2009. He directed the Arctic Investigations Program for the National Center for Infectious Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

From 2010 to 2014, Butler served as senior director for Community Health Services at the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium and as an infectious diseases clinician at the Alaska Native Medical Center. He also served as an affiliate professor in UAA’s WWAMI School of Medical Education from 2008 to 2019, helping to prepare the next generation of Alaska’s health care professionals.

A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he earned his doctor of medicine degree, and North Carolina State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in zoology, Butler has devoted his career to serving the public good through medicine. He is nationally recognized for his work in infectious disease and brings years of experience and knowledge about Alaska’s unique public health environment.

“Dr. Butler joins UAA at an exciting time for our university,” said Runge. “His leadership, experience at the state and national level, and commitment to Alaska will be instrumental in advancing UAA’s role as the state’s designated health university. He steps into a role supported by a strong, experienced team of leaders, faculty and staff within the College of Health.”

Read the original announcement from UAA here.