Jayne M. Brandel, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Named Dean of School of Health and Medical Sciences

Jayne M. Brandel, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, a prominent scholar in the field of speech-language pathology, has been named Dean of the School of Health and Medical Sciences, effective July 1, 2026.

Brandel arrives at the University with a track record of success as a higher education administrator, clinician and researcher with more than $1.8 million in grant funding over the past decade.

“Seton Hall’s sterling reputation in the health and medical sciences speaks for itself,” Brandel said. “I am thrilled to lead the School at a time when the need for well-trained healthcare practitioners is growing. We will meet this need with graduates whose comprehensive knowledge and expansive training place them among the nation’s best.”

Before coming to Seton Hall, Brandel had been at West Virginia University since 2016. There, she served as the inaugural Associate Dean of Academic and Faculty Affairs in the School of Medicine - Health Professions and Chair of the Division of Communication Sciences and Disorders.

As associate dean, she established a General Curriculum Committee to review new and revised courses and program proposals. This committee also developed guidance for improving the speed and efficiency with which curricular changes were approved.

As chair, she led two accredited programs: the Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology (M.S. SLP) and the Doctor of Audiology (AuD). In this role, she hired 14 faculty members, increased graduate student enrollment from 73 to 139 and redesigned the undergraduate and graduate curriculums.

As a speech-language pathology researcher, she has garnered more than $1.8 million in grant funding since 2016 from the West Virginia Department of Education.

Prior to working at WVU, Brandel was chair of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Fort Hays State University in Kansas.

She earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees at the University of Kansas, including a bachelor’s in Speech-Language Hearing as well as a master’s and doctorate in Speech-Language Pathology.

“The health sciences are constantly evolving to better meet the needs of patients,” said Erik Lillquist, J.D., Interim Provost and Executive Vice President at Seton Hall.  “With Dean Brandel leading the School, I am confident our students will be exceptionally prepared to meet and exceed the demands of today’s fast-moving healthcare fields.”

At Seton Hall, Brandel will help ensure that the School continues to deliver high-quality healthcare training while identifying new opportunities for programmatic expansion, academic research and community partnerships.

In addition, she will develop and advance a strategy to expand scholarly activities of all kinds, with interprofessional collaborations across the University and with external stakeholders.

Categories: Health and Medicine