Jonathan M. Samet, MD, MS, a pulmonary physician and epidemiologist, is the past dean of the Colorado School of Public Health and Professor of Epidemiology and Occupational and Environmental Health. Previously, Dr. Samet held leadership positions at the University of Southern California, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and the University of New Mexico.  

Dr. Samet received a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and Physics from Harvard College, an MD degree from the University of Rochester's School of Medicine and Dentistry, and a Master of Science degree in Epidemiology from the Harvard School of Public Health.  

His research focuses on the health risks of inhaled pollutants—particles and ozone in outdoor air and indoor pollutants including secondhand smoke and radon. He has also investigated the occurrence and causes of cancer and respiratory diseases, emphasizing the risks of active and passive smoking. For several decades, he has been involved in global health, focusing on tobacco control, air pollution, and chronic disease prevention.  

Dr. Samet has served on and chaired numerous committees of the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine, also chairing the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee of the U.S. EPA and the FDA’s Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee. Dr. Samet has served as editor and author for Reports of the Surgeon General on Smoking and Health since 1984, receiving the Surgeon General’s Medallion in 1990 and 2006 for these contributions. He was the Senior Scientific Editor for the 50th Anniversary 2014 report. He was elected to the National Academy of Medicine (Institute of Medicine) of the National Academies of Sciences in 1997 and received the David M. Rall Medal for his contributions in 2015.