From Dissertation Seminars to the Editor’s Desk: Denys Lau’s Journey Through Public Health

When Denys Lau, PhD, graduated from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2002, he couldn’t have predicted that two decades later he would be at the helm of one of the most influential journals in the field. Today, Lau serves as the 15th editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Public Health (AJPH)—the peer-reviewed scientific publication independently published by the American Public Health Association. This year, AJPH celebrates its 115th anniversary, marking a legacy that Lau is both proud to steward and eager to shape for the future. Alongside this role, he holds adjunct faculty appointments at George Washington University, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and Johns Hopkins University.

Lau’s professional path reflects both intellectual rigor and adaptability. After earning his PhD in Health Services Research from the Department of Health Policy and Management (HPM) at the Bloomberg School, he spent a decade in academia before transitioning to federal service.

Lau’s professional path reflects both intellectual rigor and adaptability. After earning his PhD in Health Services Research from the Department of Health Policy and Management (HPM) at the Bloomberg School, he spent a decade in academia before transitioning to federal service.

His academic journey began as a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Michigan, where he immersed himself in pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research. He was then recruited to the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University as an assistant professor and later joined the University of Illinois at Chicago as an associate professor. During this time, Lau was appointed associate editor of Clinical Therapeutics, where he led the Pharmaceutical Economics, Outcomes, and Policy section—an early indication of his editorial instincts.

After his stint in academia, Lau made a significant pivot to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), spending the next ten years in federal public health service. As a division director, he oversaw a family of national health care provider and establishment surveys that monitor health services use across ambulatory, inpatient, outpatient, and long-term care settings. Later, as a senior science advisor, he led modernization strategies for the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)—a flagship program in U.S. public health surveillance. 

During this period, he also joined AJPH as an associate editor, launching the journal’s new Public Health Surveillance and Survey Methods section. This platform became a hub for cutting-edge work on health data and monitoring systems in the U.S. and abroad. This summer, Lau assumed the role of editor-in-chief, returning to his editorial roots on a much larger stage.

Lau looks back on his years at HPM with deep appreciation. “I can think of many stand-out moments at Hopkins that I will always carry with me,” he recalls, citing dissertation seminars, advisors, and his close-knit PhD cohort as formative experiences. Weekly seminars led by the late Barbara Starfield, MD, MPH 1963, were especially pivotal. “She challenged everyone to present their dissertation ideas no matter what stage they were in,” Lau says. “We learned how to give and receive constructive criticism. That art of peer review—those back-and-forth discussions to improve research—is the basis of scientific inquiry.”

“We learned how to give and receive constructive criticism. That art of peer review—those back-and-forth discussions to improve research—is the basis of scientific inquiry.”

This ethos shaped Lau’s own approach to mentoring. While on faculty at the University of Illinois at Chicago, he recreated a similar doctoral seminar to teach students the value and practice of peer review, mirroring Starfield’s approach.

Lau is quick to credit his two HPM advisors—Alan Lyles, ScD, MPH, and the late Judy Kasper, PhD,—with shaping his academic and professional trajectory. Lyles, who guided him through the critical early years of coursework and proposal defense, offered practical advice that Lau still carries: “When you ask for a favor, make it so easy for them that they cannot say no,” and “Life events will keep intervening, so don’t let them delay your progress.”

Kasper’s mentorship in the latter half of Lau’s doctoral program opened new doors. She introduced him to aging and caregiving research, connected him to an internship at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and guided him through the analysis of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey for his dissertation. The resulting work earned Lau dissertation awards from AcademyHealth and APHA, helping to launch his career. “What I cherish most about Dr. Kasper was her practical attitude toward research,” he recalls. “She championed her students and focused on moving research forward, not agonizing over minor details.”

“I don’t agree with the adage that it’s who you know and not what you know, but who you know can play a huge role in connecting you to opportunities and providing support.”

Beyond skills and mentorship, Lau emphasizes the power of professional relationships forged at HPM. “I don’t agree with the adage that it’s who you know and not what you know,” he says, “but who you know can play a huge role in connecting you to opportunities and providing support.”

Lau also offered a heartfelt acknowledgment of the HPM staff, singling out Mary Sewell, associate director of Alumni Relations, for her warmth and genuine care. Over the years, he said, her enthusiastic greetings at national conferences and impromptu introductions to fellow alums have helped him feel continually connected to the HPM community. “She reminds me that I’ll always have a large family at HPM to lean on,” he says, emphasizing how these small gestures make alumni feel welcome and valued long after graduation.

Lau credits this network of HPM peers with helping him with everything from finding academic jobs to getting around the CDC. They shared ideas, opened doors, and collaborated on projects. These connections continue to help him in his job at AJPH, where he relies on other Hopkins graduates to keep him up to date on new research and in turn, he encourages submissions. “Despite its prestigious reputation, the journal is only as good as the articles investigators submit,” he notes.

 “For those without a pre-conceived career path, I hope my story inspires you to be curious and look broadly for opportunities. My flexibility made me more resilient and agile. Some of the most memorable moments in my career happened when I least expected them.” 

For current graduate students, Lau offers thoughtful encouragement. “Each of us has our own professional journey. I took a fairly circuitous route—academia, federal service, and now journal leadership,” he says. “For those without a pre-conceived career path, I hope my story inspires you to be curious and look broadly for opportunities. My flexibility made me more resilient and agile. Some of the most memorable moments in my career happened when I least expected them.”

Lau's journey shows how important it is to be flexible, staying connected with your network, and be academically rigorous—values he learned at Hopkins and kept throughout his career—as public health faces challenges it has never faced before.