Ron Bialek, MPP, is the Executive Director of the Public Health Foundation. Before joining PHF, Mr. Bialek was on the faculty of the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health for nine years and served as Director of the Johns Hopkins Health Program Alliance. In his faculty role and as Director of the Health Program Alliance, Mr. Bialek took the theory of public health practice out into the field and developed an outstanding reputation locally and nationally for his efforts in facilitating linkages between academic institutions and public health agencies. At the national level, he has directed such projects as the Public Health Faculty/Agency Forum and the Council on Linkages Between Academia and Public Health Practice. The Forum project resulted in the development of recommendations for improving the relevance of public health education to practice and spelled out the various competencies that are desirable for practicing public health. Still serving as Director of the Council on Linkages, Mr. Bialek continues to play a key role in developing strategies and programs to implement Forum recommendations throughout the country. In addition, Mr. Bialek is Co-directing a national effort to develop public health practice guidelines for use by public and private organizations with population-based responsibilities.

At the State and local levels, Mr. Bialek has done much to improve collaboration between public health agencies and Johns Hopkins. He has developed and directed projects such as: assessing community public health needs and resources, developing evaluation protocols for local health department services, providing technical support to and staffing of the Maryland Association of County Health Officers, and establishing a public health grand rounds series for State and local health department employees. Mr. Bialek Co-chaired the Coalition for Local Public Health in Maryland, which was successful in getting signed into law funding mandates to support essential local public health services. Mr. Bialek also has served on several State committees and is currently a member of the Prevention Block Grant Advisory Committee for the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

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