ASPHER elects Associate Professor Mary Codd as President
9 July 2025
(opens in a new window)Associate Professor Mary Codd has been elected as President of the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region ((opens in a new window)ASPHER).
Serving in the role as ASPHER Vice-president (President-elect) for the forthcoming 2025-2026 term, she will assume the two-year presidency in early 2026.
Founded in 1966, ASPHER is an independent European organisation dedicated to improving and protecting public health. Counted among its members are over 134 Schools and Institutes of Public Health across the WHO European Region.
Professor Codd’s elevation to President will mark the first time that a School of Public Health from Ireland will lead the organisation.
“We warmly congratulate Professor Mary Codd and look forward to her continued contributions to ASPHER’s mission and values,” said current ASPHER President Professor Henrique Barros.
(opens in a new window)Professor Cecily Kelleher, UCD College of Health and Agricultural Sciences Principal, noted that the appointment is “the culmination of many years of fruitful engagement between UCD and ASPHER” indicating that “the curriculum reforms spearheaded by Professor Codd will have a lasting influence on the New Public Health”.
Associate Professor and Head of the UCD School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science, James Matthews, also congratulated Professor Codd saying that “this is an important and significant achievement that reinforces the School’s position as one of the leaders in Europe in supporting ASPHER’s mission to strengthen the education and training of Public Health professionals for practice and research”.
An Associate Professor of Epidemiology & Biostatistics at the UCD School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science, and Director of the UCD Master of Public Health (MPH) Programme and the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master of Public Health Degree (Europubhealth) at the University, Professor Codd has served on the Executive Board for ASHER since 2019.
As President, she will maintain and enhance the group’s functions and objectives, with particular focus on a number of key issues, including: the impact of social media on children and young people; the challenges of healthy ageing and long-term care for older members of society; and the continued development of curricula and competencies for public health professionals.
Her professional experience spans the implementation of the first population-based cancer screening programme in Ireland, leading to the development of the Irish National Breast Screening Programme ‘Breastcheck’, to establishing and directing the UCD Specialised Contact Tracing Centre during the COVID-19 pandemic.
By:David Kearns, Digital Journalist / Media Officer, UCD University Relations(with materials from Jennifer Caffrey, UCD School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science)
To contact the News & Content Team, email: newsdesk@ucd.ie
