Cheryl Anderson, MPH, PhD

Professor and Dean (School of Public Health)

About Dr. Anderson

Dr. Cheryl Anderson is the Founding Dean and Professor of the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Professor in the Department of Radiation Medicine & Applied Sciences in the Division of Applied Sciences. She is also a member of the RMAS Center for Health Equity, Education and Research (CHEER). She also holds a joint appointment in the Department of Medicine.

Dr. Anderson assumed the role of the founding Dean of the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at UC San Diego in June 2020 as the inaugural holder of the Hood Family Endowed Dean’s Chair in Public Health. She also directs the UC San Diego Center of Excellence in Health Promotion and Equity. As Dean, her leadership emphasizes building a unified school that integrates exemplary education, research, and community engagement to address persistent health inequities and reimagine public health for the 21st century.

Dr. Anderson's research lies at the intersection of nutritional epidemiology and chronic disease prevention, with a particular emphasis on underserved populations. Her work encompasses observational studies, randomized clinical trials, and implementation science to explore how dietary factors, especially sodium, potassium, and broader dietary patterns, affect cardiovascular, kidney, and metabolic health. She leads several high-impact initiatives, such as NHLBI-funded studies on dietary sodium and potassium intake, behavioral interventions promoting dietary adherence, and projects including the California Teachers Study and the RESOLVE to Save 100 Million Lives public health initiative.