Ory named AVP of Strategic Partnerships and Initiatives

Marcia G. Ory, PhD, MPH, Regents and Distinguished Professor at the School of Public Health, has been named associate vice president of strategic partnerships and initiatives for the Texas A&M University Health Science Center.

In her new position, Ory will provide strategic leadership and create partnerships across the Health Science Center and university. She will manage the institution’s community-engagement partnerships and initiatives including the Coastal Bend Health Education Center, Healthy South Texas and TexVet. These programs serve as platforms to engage community members, so integrating them under one leader will leverage the strength and influence these efforts have on the health and well-being of Texans. Ory will also oversee community-facing activities and operations undertaken at the Texas A&M South Texas Center.

As co-director of Healthy South Texas that is now expanding to other parts of the state including the Brazos Valley, Ory has built a model of success for the system-wide “Healthy Texas” initiative. In response to the growing opioid epidemic, she chairs the newly formed Texas A&M Health Science Center Opioid Task Force.

In her new role, she will work with a diverse group of academicians, clinicians and community stakeholders to identify and evaluate innovative programs in health promotion and chronic disease management with the goal of improving population health.

“Dr. Ory’s experience working across disciplines and institutional boundaries will help us to have far-reaching impact as we seek to transform the health and quality of life of communities across the state,” said Carrie L. Byington, MD, vice chancellor for health services at The Texas A&M University System, dean of the Texas A&M College of Medicine and senior vice president of the Texas A&M University Health Science Center.

“The Texas A&M University Health Science Center is unique in its recognition of the importance of integrating community-based and clinical services for improving the health of generations to come,” Ory commented.

Ory will continue to serve as co-director of the Center for Population Health and Aging. The Center promotes the implementation and dissemination of evidence-based community programs like Texercise Select, an award-winning exercise and nutrition program making a difference in the lives of older Texans.

A leading scholar in healthy aging, community-based prevention and wellness research, she has made significant contributions to redefine healthy aging as the new normal. Ory has authored or co-authored 10 edited books, 40 book chapters, 20 special thematic issues in professional journals, more than 400 peer-reviewed articles and delivered more than 500 presentations at local, state, national and international venues. She has also received more than $50 million in awards to fund research and service projects.