Rollins School of Public Health
The Rollins School of Public Health (RSPH) is the public health school of Emory University. Founded in 1990, RSPH has more than 850 students pursuing master's degrees (MPH/MSPH) and over 100 students pursuing doctorate degrees (PhD). The school comprises six departments: Behavioral Sciences/Health Education (BSHE), Biostatistics (BIOS), Environmental and Occupational Health (EOH), Epidemiology (EPI), Global Health (GH), and Health Policy and Management (HPM).
In addition to pursuing degrees from a single department, students may combine interests and participate in joint programs, both within RSPH and in conjunction with other professional schools at Emory. Unique programs to Rollins are Global Environmental Health, Global Epidemiology, and the joint EOH/EPI MSPH program.
Rollins is uniquely situated in the "public health capital of the world," sharing the Clifton Corridor with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Cancer Society. In addition to partnerships with the CDC and the American Cancer Society, many faculty and students are involved with other Atlanta-based organizations, such as CARE and the Carter Center.
O. Wayne Rollins was a self-made business entrepreneur and innovator. In 1964 he orchestrated the purchase of Orkin Inc., often recognized as the first leveraged buyout. With his brother, John Rollins participated in numerous successful business ventures including radio and television stations, pest control, oil field services, truck leasing, boat manufacturing and real estate. Following his death in 1991, his sons, Randall and Gary Rollins, have continued to build the Rollins companies. Several members of the Rollins family have served on the Emory University Board of Trustees.
Notable Persons
- James Curran, MD - current Dean, original leader of the CDC HIV Taskforce
- Howard Frumkin, MD, DrPH - current Director of the National Center for Environmental Health, former EOH department chair
- Sandy Thurmond - lecturer in the school, former Clinton "AIDS Czar"
2007 Rollins Gift
On July 9, 2007, the O. Wayne Rollins Foundation and Grace Crum Rollins donated $50 million to the Rollins School of Public Health. The donation will double the school's physical structure, adding 160,000 square feet. It was one of the largest donations to a public health school in the history of higher education.