Meet the Team

The Office of Academic Affairs is led by Dr. Pascal James Imperato, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Chief Academic Officer. 

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Pascal James Imperato, MD, MPH & TM
Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
Chief Academic Officer

pascal.imperato@downstate.edu
(718) 270-3814

Prior to accepting his current role, Dr. Imperato was Founding Dean and Distinguished Service Professor of the School of Public Health. Before becoming Dean of the newly established School of Public Health in 2008, he was Director of the Master of Public Health Program, the Graduate Program in Public Health and Chair of the Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health in the College of Medicine. He received his MD degree from the State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center, College of Medicine, and then completed a residency in internal medicine at Long Island College Hospital. He received his MPH&TM degree at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. He holds honorary Doctor of Science degrees from Tulane University and from St. John's University.

After receiving his MPH&TM degree, Dr. Imperato served for six years as a medical epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in West Africa, where he directed mass immunization campaigns against smallpox, measles, yellow fever, cholera, and meningococcal meningitis.

Dr. Imperato spent six-years at the New York City Department of Health, during which he successively served as Director of the Bureau of Infectious Disease Control and Principal Epidemiologist, First Deputy Commissioner of Health and Director of the department’s Residency Training Program in Public Health, and as Commissioner of Health and Chair of the Board of Directors of the New York City Health & Hospitals Corporation.

On leaving the New York City Department of Health, he became Professor and Chair of the Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health in the College of Medicine at SUNY Downstate Medical Center. He was later appointed Distinguished Service Professor. In 2001, Dr. Imperato assumed the additional responsibility of Director of the Master of Public Health Program. With the steady expansion of the program, he became Dean of the Graduate Program in Public Health and the School of Public Health Initiative, and in 2008 Founding Dean and Dean of the School of Public Health.

From 1980 until 2017, Dr. Imperato served as course director for the Global Health elective, “Health Care in Developing Countries.” His research in recent years has focused on clinical outcomes and health care quality improvement. In 1999, Dr. Imperato received the New York City Department of Health’s Public Health Achievement Award, and in 2008, the Haven Emerson Award of the Public Health Association of New York City for distinguished contributions to public health in New York City.

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Ann Marie Cullen, BA
Administrator
Office of Academic Affairs

annmarie.cullen@downstate.edu
(718) 270-7454

The Office of Academic Affairs is administered by Ann Marie Cullen. Ann Marie recieved a BA in Political Science and Communications from King’s College Wilkes-Barre, PA.  Her professional career began at Chase Automotive Finance Human Resources where she was a Human Resources Generalist and an Assistant Treasurer.  She was responsible for supporting over 2,300 employees in 6 locations throughout the country. Here responsibilies also included Training and Development, Executive Recruitment, Employee Relations and Benefits.

Ann Marie joined SUNY Downstate in 2011 working in the Human Reseource Department.  In 2015 she moved to Faculty Affairs and then Office of Academic Affairs in 2017 where she currently serves as Administrator. Ann Maries also serves on the Commencement Committee and has played a role in several recruitment searches at Downstate. In 2017 Ann Marie became the recipeint of the 2017 Diversity Champion Award preseted by the Office of Diversity Education and Research at the 1st Annual Dr. Dale Blackstock Woman's History Month Lecture and Awards Ceremony. 

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