Columbia Mailman Salutes Michael Sparer’s Leadership as HPM Chair

Colleagues, collaborators, family members, and friends celebrated Michael Sparer’s 16-year transformational tenure as chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management (HPM). Sparer is stepping down as department chair in January; he will continue as professor and director of the Center for Public Health Systems. Larry Brown, professor and former HPM chair, will serve as interim department chair.

Speakers at a recent gathering lauded Sparer’s leadership style, teaching and mentoring prowess, and scholarly contributions. The event also served as the occasion to announce significant philanthropic gifts, including $500,000 raised in Sparer’s honor, and the creation of the William Henry Welch Endowed Chair in Public Health Systems, supported by an anonymous gift, with Sparer to be installed in the position. Earlier this year, he was installed as the inaugural recipient of the Thomas Campbell Jackson and Pamela Brandt Jackson Chair of Health Policy and Management; the endowed professorship will be transferred to the next HPM chair. 

Under Sparer’s leadership, HPM has assembled a world-class faculty with expertise in health economics, political science, management, and more. The department significantly expanded its course offerings and student enrollment, becoming today one of the largest and most prestigious departments of health policy and management anywhere. He also launched new and innovative educational initiatives, created an intellectual environment that encouraged important and influential research, and promoted significantly expanded connections with alumni and other friends of the department, among other contributions.

Leader and Advocate

In praise of Sparer’s strategic vision and stewardship of the department’s resources, John Rowe, HPM professor and member of the School’s Board of Advisors, called him “a master builder.” Jonathan B. Perlin, president and CEO of the Joint Commission and Joint Commission International and chair of HPM’s National Advisory Board, underlined the outgoing HPM chair’s efforts to elevate the importance of public health. “Your voice has been steady, clear, encouraging us to bring public health out of the shadows, to invest in stronger and more unified infrastructure that values the essential work of public health professionals every single day, not just in times of crisis,” he said. The surname Sparer translates in German to “saver” or “protector,” suggesting an instance of nominative determinism, mused Thomas Campbell Jackson, a member of the School’s Board of Advisors.

Teacher, Mentor, and Scholar

One of Sparer’s former students, Chelsea Clinton, now an HPM instructor and member of the School’s Board of Advisors, expressed her gratitude to the outgoing chair for his friendship and mentorship. Saying he is “the model of what a great teacher is,” she pointed to his legendary and award-winning teaching prowess—notably, his ability to deliver memorable lectures without slides or notes. (Separately, Clinton and Sparer each launched podcasts this fall to bring public health insights to a larger audience.) Announcing the new philanthropic gifts, Becky Sale, managing director of academics and innovation in HPM, explained that the William Henry Welch Endowed Chair is named after the founder of Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, the first school of public health in the country. Like Sparer, Welch was passionate about teaching. “Michael, you’re not just a great teacher, but you invest in education for everyone,” Sale said. Adding remarks that praised the outgoing chair’s scholarship, Larry Brown, his longtime collaborator, said Sparer has contributed research that is “rigorous and relevant.”  

Interim Dean Kathleen Sikkema thanked Sparer for his many contributions as HPM Chair and for his continuing leadership as director of the Center for Public Health Systems. “We will look forward to [your continued impact and efforts] to address the increasingly complex challenges in public health right now,” she said. 

In his own remarks, Sparer recalled pivotal moments in his career, including when he joined the faculty in 1992 and when he was named HPM chair in 2009. He expressed his gratitude for “the generosity and kindness” of the speakers and his good fortune for being part of the larger HPM community, including its many accomplished alumni and supporters across public health and the larger health care system. “It’s a special place,” he said.