What Being a Dean is Really Like (vs. The CDC) | Dean Monica Swahn (VCU)

Dr. Monica Swahn spent nearly a decade at the CDC before she ever led a school. Now she is Dean of the VCU School of Public Health, running an institution through funding pressure, workforce strain, and open questions about public trust. In this conversation, she talks about the path from psychology to epidemiology, what a decade in government science taught her about how evidence moves into decisions, building an alcohol research center at Makerere University in Uganda that had to outlast her fellowship, and what she looks for when she reads a graduate application. 0:00 Cold open 1:05 Welcome and introduction 3:21 The road into public health 6:00 Three degrees, one university 7:11 A decade at the CDC 9:28 What academia allows that government science does not 12:10 The clearance process, and removing her own name 14:47 Deciding what kind of impact you want 16:02 Uganda, the Fulbright, and the alcohol research center 18:41 The TOPOWA project 21:02 Vision for the VCU School of Public Health 25:21 Building a school as its founding dean 26:08 Where VCU is strong, and who it fits 30:09 Funding for doctoral students 31:23 What makes a strong applicant 33:11 Government, academia, or global: choosing a path 36:02 Is public health worth it in 2026? 37:53 Rapid fire 40:50 Closing The Scholars Table with Dr Banda brings scholars, leaders, practitioners, and emerging voices to the table for thoughtful conversations about health, science, academia, leadership, and public life. Hosted by Dr Banda Khalifa. Subscribe for new conversations. __ About our guest: Monica Swahn, PhD, was named dean of the VCU School of Public Health in July 2025. She also serves as director of Global Women's Health for the VCU Institute for Women's Health and holds the Charles W. and Evelyn F. Thomas Endowed Professorship of Epidemiology. Her research has focused on youth health-risk behaviors and alcohol's role in violence, injuries, and HIV, work she has presented at the United Nations Development Program, the World Health Organization, and the Pan American Health Organization. As a Fulbright Scholar in the sub-Saharan HIV program at Makerere University in Uganda, she developed and implemented an alcohol research center. Before academia, she spent nearly a decade at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a health scientist and epidemiologist, where she was awarded the Dixie Snider fellowship in the Office of the Chief Science Officer. She came to VCU from Kennesaw State University, where she served as dean and professor in the Wellstar College of Health and Human Services. She is a three-time alumna of the University of Pittsburgh, with a PhD and MPH in Epidemiology and a BS in Psychology. Request for services: bandaconsults.com Join our Newsletter: https://store.bandaconsults.com/brief Join our mentorship community : https://www.skool.com/the-bgc-network... Podcasts: 🎧 Dr Banda on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7l6gFGV... 🎧 Dr Banda on Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Follow Dr Banda Khalifa LinkedIn:   / baak   X/Twitter: https://x.com/bandexwin Instagram:   / drbandakhalifa   Facebook:   / drbandakhalifa   📌 About this channel: We bring you leadership interviews, global health insights, career and personal development, academic success strategies, and AI tools for professionals and graduate students. Learn how an epidemiologist navigated the CDC paper clearance process and why transitioning to a dean role changed their research. In this conversation, Dean Swahn details the specific frustrations of working within government bureaucracy, where lengthy approval cycles often stifled academic progress. He explains the stark contrast between those institutional hurdles and his current capacity to publish findings without restrictive clearance layers. This episode provides a candid look at the differences between public health administration and academic leadership. By examining the impact of bureaucratic red tape on scientific output, professionals can better understand how to structure their own career development for maximum efficiency. We discuss why streamlining your publishing workflow is essential for meaningful academic success in today's fast-paced environment. Whether you are managing a research team or considering a transition into higher administration, understanding these systemic challenges is vital. Subscribe for weekly career and leadership breakdowns, and let us know in the comments: what is the biggest barrier to your productivity in your current role? #PublicHealth #Epidemiology #GlobalHealth #HigherEducation #VCU #GraduateSchool #PublicHealthLeadership