John McCarthy named dean of the College of Health Sciences and Professions

Executive Vice President and Provost Elizabeth Sayrs has named John McCarthy, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, FNAP, as the dean of the College of Health Sciences and Professions at Ohio University, effective immediately.

McCarthy has served as interim dean of the College of Health Sciences and Professions since he was appointed to the position in December 2020. His appointment as interim dean followed Randy Leite’s announcement that he would step down as dean in December 2020.

“The College of Health Sciences and Professions is a national leader in training health care professionals at the undergraduate and graduate level, and Dr. John McCarthy has done outstanding work as the interim dean,” Sayrs said. “I am confident that he will continue to provide strong leadership that supports continued advancement in teaching, research and scholarship, innovative academic programs, and community engagement.”

McCarthy, who also serves as a professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders, has held several positions since joining Ohio University in 2004, including associate dean and associate director of the Division of Communication Sciences and Disorders.

He is a Distinguished Scholar Fellow of the National Academies of Practice (NAP), is the vice chair of the NAP Speech-Language Pathology Academy, has written over 60 scholarly articles and book chapters, and is co-editor of the electronic resource, “Augmentative and Alternative Communication: An Interactive Clinical Casebook.” McCarthy has worked for 10 years in the area of interprofessional education in research, consulting, and committee work at the state and national level. His research interests include developing better computer user interfaces and expanding the creative possibilities for children and young adults with multiple disabilities. 

McCarthy earned his Ph.D. in Communication Sciences and Disorders, M.S. in Communication Disorders and B.M. in Music, all from Pennsylvania State University.

The search committee for the dean of the College of Health Sciences and Professions was led by College of Communication Dean Scott Titsworth and School of Nursing Director Char Miller.

“I am grateful to all of the search committee members for their time and commitment to this process,” Sayrs said. “The committee identified an outstanding pool of candidates who each had compelling ideas for continuing to move the college forward.”