Bernard Rousseau, Ph.D., Appointed Dean of Doisy College of Health Sciences at Saint Louis University
Following a national search, Saint Louis University has selected Bernard “Bernie” Rousseau, Ph.D., MMHC, CCC-SLP, ASHA Fellow, to serve as the next permanent dean of its Doisy College of Health Sciences. His appointment is effective July 1.
Rousseau is the associate dean for equity, inclusion and community engagement at the University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. He also serves as the chair of the Department of Communication Science and Disorders, one of the school’s largest departments with 300 students across five academic degree programs and a non-degree post-baccalaureate certificate.
“I am incredibly excited to have Dr. Rousseau join our team here at SLU,” said Saint Louis University Provost Michael Lewis, Ph.D. “He will be a transformational leader for the institution and will expand the reach of our programs through innovative programming and curricular development. As a world-class researcher, he will dramatically enhance our scholarly reputation. His work and approach to instruction and research align with SLU's Jesuit mission.”
Rousseau has served as chair of the Department of Communication Science and Disorders at Pitt since 2018. His numerous accomplishments as chair include:
- Recruiting 13 new faculty in the department, including 4 new academic program directors.
- Leading the department during a significant climb in U.S. News & World Report’s graduate rankings, including a No. 3 for speech-language pathology and a No. 7 for audiology.
- Increasing department research funding to more than $20 million and gift revenue to the department by more than 900%.
- Strengthening department collaborations with several academic units at Pitt, including its School of Medicine and the Swanson School of Engineering.
In addition to leading an academic department, Rousseau has served as the school’s associate dean for equity, inclusion and community engagement since 2020. His leadership of a $2.8 million school-wide, cluster-hire initiative led to the funding of four new faculty positions to address research in the social determinants of health and well-being.
Rousseau’s own federally funded research program is recognized nationally and internationally for its use of innovative experimental approaches in the fields of otolaryngology, hearing and speech sciences, and mechanical engineering. He is the principal investigator of two National Institutes of Health R01 research grants and has maintained continuous NIH funding for more than 14 consecutive years. He has mentored more than 60 research trainees in his laboratory, many of whom have had success at top research universities across the country.
Before joining the University of Pittsburgh, Rousseau served as a faculty member at Vanderbilt University. He earned his undergraduate and master’s degrees from the University of Central Florida and has a Ph.D. in communicative disorders from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He also holds a second master’s degree in management of health care from Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management.
“I would like to thank President (Fred) Pestello and Provost Lewis for this incredible opportunity to lead the Doisy College of Health Sciences at Saint Louis University,” Rousseau said. “This is an exciting time at the University with expanding enrollment, a healthy endowment and major institutional investments in the community.”
Rousseau will succeed Tricia Austin, Ph.D., PT, ATC, who has served as interim dean of Doisy College since October 2020 when the dean at the time left SLU to become the provost of Creighton University.
“Dr. Austin’s steady leadership and commitment have helped to keep the college on track to meet its goals and lay the foundation for Dr. Rousseau to continue the important work of the college when he arrives this summer,” Lewis said.
About SLU’s Doisy College
The Doisy College of Health Sciences has provided students with the tools and education to become well-prepared health care professionals since 1929. Doisy College offers hands-on experience through accredited clinical education programs in a variety of areas, including athletic training, communication sciences and disorders, health information management, magnetic resonance imaging, medical laboratory science, nuclear medicine technology, nutrition and dietetics, occupational therapy, physical therapy, physician assistant, and radiation therapy.