Office of the Dean
350 W. Woodrow Wilson
Suite 301
Jackson, MS  39213-7681
Phone:    601-979-8836
Fax No.:  601-979-8837

Biographical Sketch

Professor Mario J. Azevedo, the current Interim Dean of the College of Public Service, earned his Ph.D. in African History from Duke University and an M.P.H. in Epidemiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an A.M. in History from American University, and the B.A.in History from The Catholic University of America. His career began in 1975 in the Department of History at Jackson State University before moving to chair the Africana Studies Department at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (1986-2006). He returned to Jackson State University as a Visiting Professor in the Public Health Program in 2006, subsequently becoming the Chair of the Department of Epidemiology in 2006 and Interim Associate Dean of the School of Health Sciences in 2007-2008.

In Fall 2008-2009, he served as the Acting Dean of the College of Public Service. Dr. Azevedo has published 10 books on Africa, more than 30 articles and book chapters on African history and health in refereed journals. Over 40 of his essays have been featured in several encyclopedias. With a keen interest in infectious diseases, especially in Africa, Dr. Azevedo teaches epidemiology at Jackson State University and has done several studies on health in Cameroon, Chad, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Mozambique, and Kenya. Since 1980, he has also been a recipient of dozens of grants, including the last two that have focused on cancer data in Mississippi.