Deans’ Welcome

Announcement

Dorian Traube, a professor in the Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work at the University of Southern California, has been appointed as the next dean of the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, effective Aug. 1, announced Chancellor Andrew D. Martin.

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The Brown School is a special community where our faculty, staff, students and alumni are encouraged to be agents of change. We are committed to creating new knowledge to counter the effects of systemic oppression and racism to build a more just and equitable world. We are distinguished by the energy and excellence of our faculty, the diversity and talent of our students, and the outstanding caliber of our administrative staff. Our foundation is built on the strength of Washington University and the deep ties to the local and global communities we serve.

We recently released our 10-year strategic plan, Driving Equity 2030, which prioritizes rigorous science, transformative educational programs, and mutually beneficial partnerships aimed at advancing social, economic, health, environmental and racial justice. We are dedicated to working toward the elimination of a broad range of social and health disparities in the St. Louis region, the nation, and the world.

Our graduates are leaders in social work, public health and social policy, taking on the most challenging and vital policy, practice, and management roles in the country and around the world. We invite you to learn more about what we have created at Washington University in St. Louis. We hope you will join us in this critical pursuit of knowledge, social change, and equity.

Sincerely,

Tonya Edmond
Interim Co-Dean, Brown School

Rodrigo Reis
Interim Co-Dean, Brown School

Our History

The Brown School was founded in 1925, and in 1937, Brown Hall was dedicated. It was named for George Warren Brown, the founder of the Brown Shoe Company in St. Louis, and generously funded by a bequest from his widow, Betty Bofinger Brown.

In 1945, the social work department became its own school, offering a Master of Social Work degree. We soon began a doctoral program and became the first school at Washington University to admit African-American students.

Over the ensuing decades, the School prospered and grew to become one of the top-ranked schools of social work in the nation, focused on evidence-based scholarship and impact. In 2008, we added a Master of Public Health degree, and in 2015, a PhD in Public Health Sciences. Also in 2015, the first cohort started for our Master of Social Policy (MSP) dual degree, created in partnership with several universities in China. It is now a dual-degree option for domestic students as well. The Clark-Fox Policy Institute launched in 2017, furthering the School’s commitment to engage in the creation of evidence-based policy solutions.

Our Vision

A better and more equitable society.

Our Mission

To engage multidisciplinary faculty, staff and students to create a better and more equitable society through leading rigorous science, transformative education and authentic partnerships.

About Washu

Founded in 1853, Washington University in St. Louis is counted among the world’s leaders in teaching and research and boasts highly ranked schools of Social Work, Medicine, Business and Law. It is dedicated to challenging its faculty and students alike to seek new knowledge and greater understanding of an ever-changing, multicultural world. The university draws students and faculty to St. Louis from all 50 states and approximately 130 nations.