Narragansett man named associate dean of URI College of Health Sciences

KINGSTON, RI — A Narragansett resident will help lead the College of Health Sciences at the University of Rhode Island after being appointed associate dean, joining fellow Associate Dean Deb Riebe, the university announced.

Brian Quilliam, an epidemiologist and URI graduate, had served as associate dean of the College of Pharmacy for the last five years. He began with the university in 2003 as an assistant professor in Pharmacy, before becoming a tenured associate professor in 2009. He served as associate dean for Student and Academic Affairs in Pharmacy before becoming associate dean of Pharmacy.

Quilliam said he’s excited for the new challenges the position brings, and the opportunities to collaborate with professionals across multiple health disciplines.

“We want to really continue to make health more visible at URI,” Quilliam said. “I want to work with the faculty to bring some of the amazing things they are doing to the forefront. The skills and tools I use in epidemiology are applicable to a whole host of wellness and health initiatives. It allows me to support and collaborate with people doing similar work.”

Such collaboration of health disciplines is chief among the goals of the university’s Academic Health Collaborative, which was formed in 2016 to combine the Colleges of Pharmacy, Health Sciences and Nursing, along with the Institute for Integrated Health and Innovation. The Collaborative creates an interdisciplinary approach to teaching, research and innovation to nurture the next generation of health industry leaders and impact the way wellness and health care are delivered.

“It’s really a new way to think about collaboration at URI — bringing colleges together,” Quilliam said. “We have such strong health programs, but they were scattered. The Collaborative is bringing together a large number of faculty and students with many different areas of expertise. It brings together research that’s truly interdisciplinary, and creates a better picture of health and wellness at the university and beyond.”

Quilliam joins Deb Riebe as co-associate dean in the university’s third-largest college, serving nearly 3,000 students. Together, the two will support Dean Gary Liguori in managing the college and supporting the work of students and faculty members

“I am thrilled to have Brian in Health Sciences as he brings a wealth of experience and expertise,” Dean Liguori said. “Having him on board allows the College to strategically pursue external opportunities that can benefit all of our faculty and students. In fact, in less than two weeks with Health Sciences, he has already taken the lead on several exciting projects.”

“I’m very excited to work with Brian,” Riebe added. “He brings enthusiasm and energy, and his commitment to students is obvious.”

That commitment will keep Quilliam in the classroom. In addition to serving as associate dean, he will teach an Honors Seminar in the Fall 2017 semester on “Humor Communication,” exploring the role humor plays in health, both positive (as a coping mechanism, for example) and negative (as a tool for denial).

Brian Quilliam is a native of New Jersey who graduated with a B.S. in Pharmacy from URI in 1997. He earned his Ph.D. in epidemiology from Brown University in 2001. He makes his home in Narragansett.