Dr. Dale Bratzler Named Dean of OU’s Hudson College of Public Health

The University of Oklahoma announced today the appointment of Dale Bratzler, D.O., M.P.H., as dean of OU’s Hudson College of Public Health, pending approval by the OU Board of Regents.

Bratzler has served as the college’s interim dean since February 2022. He will continue to play an integral role in quality, safety and population health initiatives at the university’s health care partner, OU Health. He also serves the university in other capacities, including as a professor within the Hudson College of Public Health and the OU College of Medicine. Additionally, he has served as OU’s Chief COVID Officer since June 2020, helping coordinate the university’s response to the pandemic and serving as a state and national expert on the topic.

“Dr. Bratzler is widely recognized as the voice of public health and infectious disease prevention in Oklahoma,” said OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. “Throughout the peak of COVID-19, he provided much-needed leadership and guidance locally and nationally at a time when reliable information was so critical and difficult to obtain. His background and expertise make him an excellent choice to serve as dean. We are so pleased to have him leading the college that is guiding the next generation of public health experts.”

Outside of his work for the university and its health care partner, Bratzler has been appointed to leadership positions on numerous national health organizations. In fall 2021, he was selected to serve a two-year term as a member of the Medicare Evidence Development and Coverage Advisory Committee, which advises the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services regarding specific medical matters and services to determine what is reasonable and necessary care under Medicare law.

“In the past year, Dale Bratzler has provided great leadership as interim dean of the Hudson College of Public Health,” said OU Health Sciences Center Senior Vice President and Provost Gary Raskob, who previously served as dean of the Hudson College of Public Health for 20 years. “We have a shared vision of providing excellent education and career development opportunities for public health professionals. I am excited for the future of the college under his direction.”

For more than 20 years, Bratzler has participated in research on prevention of surgical infections and on adult vaccination, having presented more than 600 lectures nationally on these topics and others. He has published more than 100 manuscripts in journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, Journals of the American Medical Association, Health Affairs and others. Board certified in internal medicine, he is a Master Fellow of the American College of Osteopathic Internists and a Fellow of the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

Bratzler has received numerous awards for teaching, service and leadership. The Journal Record recently named him as one of the Most Influential Oklahomans and, in 2022, he made the publication’s Power List. In 2021, he was honored with the university’s Award for Superior Professional and University Service and Public Outreach, as well as OU’s Distinguished Service Citation, one of the university’s highest honors.

Bratzler graduated summa cum laude from the University of Central Missouri with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. He earned his Doctor of Osteopathy from Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences. After working as an internal medicine physician in private practice for nine years in Tulsa, Bratzler earned his Master of Public Health degree from OU. He continues to practice internal medicine, providing services to patients in clinics for the uninsured.