SPEAS Lecture - Sami Jarrah, MPH

Sami K. Jarrah ’07, MPH serves as Vice Dean for Finance and Administration and Executive Director for Public Partnerships for Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health in New York City. Prior to Columbia, Jarrah served as Deputy Commissioner and Chief Financial Officer for the New York City Health Department. While there, Jarrah oversaw a budget of $3 billion and a staff of 300 in the nation’s largest municipal health department. Jarrah served for five years as Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer at the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. Earlier in his career, Jarrah worked on the west coast at health departments and at universities in corporate, foundation, and government relations. He has led coalitions focused on preemption, gun violence, public health workforce, and federal and state policy and funding for public health. Jarrah earned a BA from Davidson College ('07), where he majored in English, an MPH from University of Washington, and is pursuing a public health doctorate from Johns Hopkins University. He lives in New York City with his spouse and has a young son.