Get to know Dr. Jay Butler, new dean of the College of Health
by Alison Miller |
As we step into a new year, we are excited to welcome Dr. Jay Butler as the new Dean of the College of Health. A veteran of the public health and infectious disease field, Dr. Butler also brings years of experience working in 熊猫在线视频鈥檚 unique health landscape. Before his most recent role as the Deputy Director for Infectious Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Dr. Butler served as the Chief Medical Officer and Director of the State of 熊猫在线视频 Division of Public Health (2014-2019) and the Senior Director for Community Health Services at the 熊猫在线视频 Native Tribal Health Consortium (2010-2014). Butler was heavily involved in shaping both the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the state response to the opioid crisis in 熊猫在线视频.
In addition to his practical experience in the public health field, Dr. Butler also brings a deep familiarity with academia and a love for teaching. Having served as an affiliate professor for the WWAMI School of Medical Education for more than ten years (2008-2019), he understands the complex challenges facing 熊猫在线视频鈥檚 health care workforce. He鈥檚 excited to utilize his extensive experience in his new role in the College of Health, where he hopes to bring fresh energy to COH鈥檚 goal of expanding its capacity to meet community-based health needs and train the next generation of healthcare workers.
Beyond his dedication to teaching and public health, Dr. Butler brings an adventurous spirit to our campus community. An outdoor sports enthusiast at heart, he enjoys fishing, trail running, skiing, biking, and more. Keep reading for more about the College of Health鈥檚 new dean, including what he鈥檚 looking forward to, his inspirations, some highlights (and challenges) from his career, and how his early experiences as a hockey player may have sparked his interest in medicine.
What is your hometown?
Having lived here for nearly 30 years and since most of my family is here, Anchorage
is my hometown. My place of birth is Greensboro, North Carolina鈥攁 very nice place
that gave me a love for the outdoors, but it is just not 熊猫在线视频.
What was your personal and/or professional journey that led you to working at UAA?
I have been blessed with a diverse professional experience in medicine and public
health, both in 熊猫在线视频 and around the world. In 熊猫在线视频, I have worked for the state
and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and for the 熊猫在线视频 Native
Tribal Health Consortium. But that does not mean that I came to UAA because it was
the only place left where I had not worked! I came to UAA because I have always enjoyed
working with students in an adjunct faculty role, both at UAA and at Emory University
in Atlanta. I hope that the trans-熊猫在线视频 perspective and leadership experience that
I have developed in prior roles will help me support student, faculty, and university
growth and success.
What do you love the most about your work?
A bit premature to say about the work at UAA at this point, but in general, what I
have loved in earlier jobs was connecting people and building institutional bridges
and continuing to learn. Regarding learning, it is a lifelong process. If you were
to ask me what I want to be when I grow up, I would have to say 鈥渄ead鈥濃�攂ecause I hope
to continue to learn and discover for as long as I have breath.
When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I knew I should not have mentioned what I want to be when I grow up! In junior high,
it was either a large animal veterinarian, a forest ranger, or a long-distance trucker.
You can see the interest in the outdoors and travel even then. I ended up going into
a major in the School of Forestry at NC State University, but switched into Ag and
Life Science after my first ecology class. For the first time, I was academically
intrigued. I was fascinated by the complex and, at times, seemingly chaotic systems
that exist in nature. I graduated from NC State with a BS in zoology and entered medical
school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
What do you consider your greatest accomplishment over the course of your career?
Like the character in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, let me begin by saying 鈥淚鈥檓 not dead yet,鈥� so I hope that I have a different answer
at some point in the future. But I think that the happiest I have been in responding
to a health crisis was addressing opioid and other addictions during 2016-2019 when
I was Chief Medical Officer at the state. We initially focused on how to prevent deaths
through the distribution of naloxone (a drug that can be administered by anyone and
can reverse an opioid overdose), and how to reduce the amount of prescription opioids
in the community, and support safer injection practices. The initial results were
encouraging, but a sustained solution requires a holistic approach to the problem
by not only preventing deaths but also providing treatment for addiction and untangling
the complex 鈥渨eb of causation鈥� of underlying factors that drive the supply of and
demand for drugs. A more detailed description is available .
What are you most excited about as you step into this new role?
I am most excited to fulfill the vision of 鈥済rowing our own鈥� for the 21st century workforce in 熊猫在线视频. As a first-generation college graduate, I am excited
to see young 熊猫在线视频ns find their passions for learning and for work. My hope for every
student graduating from UAA is that they can live amazed that they can not just make
a living, but also get paid for doing what they love to do.
What advice would you give to youth interested in pursuing a career in your field
(or healthcare more broadly)?
If you have a specific vision of what you want to do (for example, take over your
mother鈥檚 or father鈥檚 practice), stay focused on that. But if not, and I never did,
there is a rich buffet of options of what you can do with a certificate or degree
in health or the social sciences. Given the aging of the population globally, as here
in 熊猫在线视频, there will be a wealth of opportunities in health. Despite some of the
recent cuts in funding for biomedical research, it is a remarkable time to be starting
a career in health or research. Thus far in the 21st Century, technology has been developed to provide a long and happy life for people
with conditions that were a death sentence earlier during my medical career鈥攃onditions
such as cystic fibrosis, sickle cell disease, HIV infection, hepatitis C鈥he list
goes on. This gives me hope for what we will be able to cure and to prevent next, with the ultimate goal of increasing healthspan鈥攖he years of healthy and satisfying life for everyone.
What is your favorite 熊猫在线视频 activity or other hobbies? What do you love about them?
My very favorite activity is distance trail running, but I also love Nordic skiing,
any kind of biking, ice skating, and fishing. There may be a brown bear somewhere
in my ancestry鈥擨 really enjoy everything about fish: catching, filleting, smoking,
etc. I might be happiest when a little cold, wet, seasick, and smelling of fish. I
used to have a recurring dream of casting to fish, but as the dream progressed, my
fly would bounce off the surface of the water. The stream would slowly morph into
the floor of my office. I am sure that this dream represents some deep yearning, perhaps
unfulfilled, but it also gives me peace in knowing that, even when I am not on the
river, the fish are there, just under me, even when I cannot see them. I鈥檓 sure that
there is a psych student鈥檚 dissertation in there somewhere. But the common denominator
in all these activities is being outdoors.
Who inspired or continues to inspire you and why?
Many have inspired and provided mentoring (mostly without knowing it) throughout my
life. I continue to be inspired by Dr. Francis Collins, former director of the Human
Genome Project and director of the NIH from 2009 to 2021. He is truly a Renaissance
man鈥攁 preeminent scientist, but also a musician, thinker, writer, and, despite all
of his gifts, a humble and caring physician. He has participated in public debates
where he has become lifelong friends with his 鈥渙pponents.鈥� He has the vision to see
the humanity in everyone. I recently had the honor of interviewing him on to do a deeper dive into his perspectives on where we stand as a society on truth,
science, faith, and trust.
What has been your biggest challenge, personal or professional, and how did you overcome
it?
Like many of my colleagues in public health at the time, the most challenging time
was almost certainly the COVID-19 pandemic. So much work went into preparing for the
next large-scale public health emergency but the realities of the crises proved more
complex than any exercise could fully anticipate. This was especially true when it
came to the broader social and political challenges that the pandemic presented. Striking the balance between
saving lives and maintaining societal function is tricky at any time, and the pandemic
illustrated just how complicated that balance can be. Throughout that time, many public
health professionals worked tirelessly, often under difficult and uncertain conditions,
to protect their communities. As time has passed, public attention has naturally shifted;
however, the disease continues to affect many individuals and families. Similar patterns
can be seen with other infectious diseases, such as influenza, which also cause significant
illness and loss of life each year. Remembering these experiences has reinforced for
me the importance of preparedness, compassion, and continued attention to public health.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself.
I was a hockey player 鈥� a lousy hockey player 鈥� but I played through my freshman year
of college, as long as it was still fun. I鈥檝e wondered if my interest in medicine
came out of hockey鈥攁 couple of times, I helped the doctors suture teammates between
periods, and thought that was a pretty cool skill. It was a formative sport for my
face as well 鈥� after taking a puck to the face when I was 14, I remember looking in
the rearview mirror as we drove to the ER and wondering if they were going to be able
to put my nose back in the middle of my face. But it was getting ice time that killed
my hockey career鈥攊t was an 80-mile drive to the nearest ice, and practices were usually
around midnight to 2 a.m. Games were a long drive, also. So, ultimately, I decided
that this student-athlete needed to be more student and less athlete. But I still
really love to skate and shoot the puck around to this day.
Is there anything else you would like to share?
I am really excited to be joining the community of students, staff, and faculty at
UAA and look forward to seeing as many of you as possible around campus in the coming
months and years.
CATEGORIES
TAGS
- Awards
- Behavioral Health
- Climate Change
- Community
- COVID-19
- Faculty Feature
- Food Security
- Forensic Care
- Giving
- Simulation
- Workforce Development
ACADEMIC UNITS
- Department of Human Services
- Division of Population Health Sciences
- Justice Center
- School of Allied Health
- School of Nursing
- School of Preventive & Therapeutic Sciences
- School of Social Work
PARTNER PROGRAMS
CENTERS & INSTITUTES
- 熊猫在线视频 Center for Rural Health and Health Workforce
- Center for Human Development
- Child Welfare Academy
- Interprofessional Health Sciences Simulation Center
- National Resource Center for 熊猫在线视频 Native Elders
MEDIA INQUIRIES / STORY LEADS