Dr. Sten Vermund is the Dean of the USF College of Public Health and a Distinguished University Health Professor in the Department of Global, Environmental, and Genomic Health Sciences. He is a pediatrician and infectious disease epidemiologist focused on diseases of low- and middle-income countries. His work on HIV-HPV interactions among women in Bronx methadone programs motivated a change in the 1993 CDC AIDS case surveillance definition and inspired cervical cancer screening programs launched within HIV/AIDS programs around the world. The thrust of his research has focused on health care access, adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights, and prevention of HIV transmission among general and key populations, including mother-to-child. Dr. Vermund has become increasingly engaged in health policy, particularly around sustainability of HIV/AIDS programs and their expansion to non-communicable diseases, coronavirus pandemic response and prevention, and public health workforce development. His recent grants include capacity-building for public health in Chad, molecular epidemiology for HIV in Kazakhstan, and COVID-19 vaccine studies in Dominican Republic and Connecticut. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he worked with schools and arts organizations for COVID-19 risk mitigation and institutional safety. A member of the National Academy of Medicine, Dr. Vermund was awarded a lifetime achievement award from the U.S.-Japan Cooperative Sciences Program in 2025.