Arnold School of Public Health

Tara Sabo-Attwood became the sixth dean of the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina on August 1, 2024. She is a public health leader, researcher, educator and mentor with expertise in environmental and global health, environmental toxicology, pharmacology, nanoscience, academic leadership and interdisciplinary research.

What drew Dean Sabo-Attwood to the Arnold School was its distinctive combination of academic excellence, scientific breadth and a deep commitment to improving the health and well-being of communities. She was attracted not only to the strength and diversity of the School’s faculty and programs, but also to its culture of collaboration and its opportunity to connect research, education, practice and community engagement in meaningful ways. As dean, she is committed to building on this strong foundation while positioning the Arnold School for greater national and global impact. Her vision is to elevate the School’s visibility and reputation, expand opportunities for students and faculty, strengthen relationships with alumni, donors, policymakers, community partners and other institutions, and foster an environment where innovation and collaboration can flourish. Ultimately, she seeks to position the Arnold School as a leader in advancing population health through exceptional research, workforce-ready education and meaningful engagement that makes a tangible difference in South Carolina and beyond.

Dean Sabo-Attwood returned to USC in 2024 after serving in several leadership roles at the University of Florida, including associate dean of faculty development, cultural affairs and wellness programs, chair of the Department of Environmental and Global Health and director of the Nano-Environmental Strategic Group. As department chair, she helped expand the department’s research focus, faculty diversity and educational programs, while also supporting growth in extramural funding through strategic faculty recruitment and research portfolio development. In her associate dean role, she established the college’s first wellness program and supported student engagement in community health initiatives.

Dean Sabo-Attwood has been involved in research projects totaling more than $30 million, authored more than 120 publications and mentored more than 100 doctoral students, new faculty, postdoctoral associates, graduate students and undergraduate students. She was selected as a Kavli Fellow by the National Academy of Sciences. She has also served as deputy director of the Southeastern Coastal Center for Agricultural Safety and Health and co-founder and director of GatorWATCH, a wastewater-based epidemiology initiative.

Sabo-Attwood’s leadership and scholarly contributions include service on federal and professional advisory bodies, including the EPA Science Advisory Board and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act committee and as a national advisor to the CDC on wastewater-based epidemiology. She maintains a research associate position with the Smithsonian in Washington, DC. Dean Sabo-Attwood has a passion for women’s leadership through long-standing partnerships with colleagues in the global south.

Sabo-Attwood holds a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences, with a specialty in environmental toxicology and pharmacology, from the University of Florida and her bachelor’s degree in medical technology and genetics from the University of Connecticut.