Dr. Susan Scrimshaw, President

Dr. Susan C. Scrimshaw Appointed Ninth President of The Sage Colleges

Global public health expert, noted scholar committed to creating a '21st Century Sage'

Susan C. Scrimshaw, Ph.D., was announced as the new president of The Sage Colleges on March 25, 2009. Dr. Scrimshaw, 63, who had been the Colleges' interim president since July 2008, is the College's ninth president since the founding of Russell Sage College in 1916.

Donna Esteves, chair of the board of trustees and a Sage graduate, accepted the recommendation of the presidential search committee and announced the board's selection to a large group of students, faculty and staff.

"Susan Scrimshaw reflects the very essence of The Sage Colleges mission - the pursuit of lifelong learning, a dedication to personal and professional development, and a commitment to making meaningful contributions to the global society," Esteves said. "In Susan we have a leader of extraordinary talent and achievement. From her tireless efforts to address global health care issues to her well-recognized ability to bring innovative ideas from concepts to successful applications - on campuses across the country and in the world community - Susan is, without question, the individual who will ensure The Sage Colleges defines what it means to be a 21st century institution."

A graduate of Barnard College in New York City, Dr. Scrimshaw obtained her M.A. and Ph.D. in Anthropology from Columbia University, where she was a student of the famous cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead. At Barnard she majored in Latin American Studies and Anthropology.

"If one were to set about creating the ideal, most relevant small university for the 21st century and beyond, it would be Sage. With its blend of programs and facilities, Sage has a 'diversified portfolio' that makes it a strong 'buy.' Add our location in the state capital and Tech Valley, and our network of graduates and broad opportunities, and the proof-points speak for themselves," said Scrimshaw. "Having the unique opportunity to be a part of this vital community during a period of transformation completely sold me. I am honored and pleased to have the opportunity to lead Sage as we continue this exciting trajectory."

Dr. Scrimshaw has held numerous leadership positions in higher education institutions across the U.S. Most recently, she served as president of Simmons College in Boston. Prior to her post at Simmons, she served 12 years as the dean of the School of Public Health and professor of community health sciences and anthropology at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). Prior to those roles, she was associate dean of public health and professor of public health and anthropology at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA).

The search committee was comprised of Sage trustees, faculty, alumni, students, a dean, a cabinet member, staff, and one community member that worked since last summer screening a national pool of candidates. "Susan was the unanimous selection among an outstanding list of candidates considered during our extensive national search for this vital position," said Lynn Abraham '73, chair of the search. "Her impressive academic credentials, higher education experience and proven leadership skills as well as her unwavering commitment to educational and organization excellence will enable The Sage Colleges to both reaffirm and enhance its well-earned reputation as a premiere, comprehensive institution of higher education."

A respected and accomplished scholar, Dr. Scrimshaw's research areas include community participatory research methods, addressing health disparities, improving pregnancy outcomes, violence prevention, health literacy, and culturally appropriate delivery of health care. She is the author of five books and numerous journal articles, book chapters and reports.

In the public health field, Dr. Scrimshaw has served with distinction on the Chicago Board of Health and the Illinois State Board of Health. She is a former chair of the Association of Schools of Public Health.

Active on a national level as well, Dr. Scrimshaw is a member of the governing council of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academies. When she was elected to the IOM in 1993, she and her father became the first father/daughter pair in the IOM. She has chaired the IOM Committee on Communication for Behavior Change: Improving the Health of Diverse Populations, and served as a member of many IOM Committees, most recently, the Committee on Health Literacy. Dr. Scrimshaw also serves as a member of the National Academy of Science (NAS) Committee on Science, Engineering and Public Policy (COSEPUP).

Dr. Scrimshaw serves in leadership capacities in numerous professional and academic organizations. She is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), as well as of the American Anthropological Association and the Society for Applied Anthropology, and is a past president of the Society for Medical Anthropology. Internationally Dr. Scrimshaw has served as president of the board of directors of the U.S.-Mexico Foundation for Science.

For her work on the health of Latino populations, she received a gold medal from former President Vicente Fox of Mexico. Her many awards also include the Margaret Mead Award from the American Anthropological Association and the Society for Applied Anthropology.

Dr. Scrimshaw was born in Rochester, NY and raised in Guatemala until age 16, when she and her family returned to the Boston area, where her father chaired the Department of Nutrition and Food Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She is married to Allan Stern and has one daughter, a granddaughter, a stepdaughter and a stepson.