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Mohanan Named Incoming Senior Associate Dean

 February 20, 2023

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Man with glasses
Manoj Mohanan

On July 1, Manoj Mohanan will become Senior Associate Dean for Faculty, announced Dean Judith Kelley. Mohanan has been a faculty member at the Sanford School of Public Policy since 2011, and on July 1 he also advances to full Professor in the Sanford School. 

Mohanan is an applied microeconomist, focusing on health and development economics, with a background in medicine and public health. He has led and collaborated on large-scale research projects studying health policy questions in several countries including India, Kenya and Rwanda. His research has examined topics related to health and health care in developing countries including performance-based contracts, measurement of provider quality and performance, social franchising, and social accountability and monitoring. 

In 2022, Mohanan was named one of the 100 Most Influential Academics in Government by Apolitical, recognizing academics from around the world whose work has influenced the policymaking process and the work of government. Mohanan was recognized for his research in global health and on COVID-19 seroprevalence studies in India in the early part of the pandemic. Mohanan’s ongoing research examines the long-term consequences of the large-scale disruptions caused by the pandemic and its effect on the vulnerability of households.

In addition to his Sanford affiliation, Mohanan also has secondary appointments at Duke Global Health, Department of Economics and Duke’s Population Research Center.

Mohanan has led Sanford’s Undergraduate Task Force Committee to help shape the future of the Public Policy Studies major. With Professor Deondra Rose, he recently received a Duke grant to create an immersive learning experience for students to engage directly with U.S. policymakers in partnership with Duke in DC.

“Manoj Mohanan is a trusted and valued colleague by everyone at Sanford and will bring a wealth of insights to the position of Senior Associate Dean. In addition, Manoj will also be a wonderful cross-campus collaborator for Sanford given the many university-wide roles he has held, for example on the Academic Programs Committee and on the Executive Committee of the Academic Council. As an outstanding scholar and a long-standing citizen of Sanford, he is well-positioned to lead Sanford’s next stage of building faculty excellence,” Kelley said.

Kelley also thanked Philip Napoli for serving as Senior Associate Dean since 2020. After July 1, Napoli will continue as director of the DeWitt Wallace Center for Media and Democracy at Sanford, which he has led since 2021. Napoli is the James R. Shepley Professor of Public Policy and a leader in scholarship on media and democracy and technology policy.

“I am thankful for Phil’s leadership at Sanford. During his tenure as Senior Associate Dean, Phil advanced the school’s Strategic Priorities especially to build the impact and reputation of our research and expertise. Phil has helped to recruit and welcome an impressive number of new faculty over the past several years with energy and tremendous commitment. He has been a wonderful member of the school’s leadership team, and I am thankful his leadership continues as Director of the DeWitt Wallace Center,” Kelley said.