'How lucky can you be?': ETSU Public Health dean set to retire

From the beginning, East Tennessee State University College of Public Health Dean Dr. Randy Wykoff quoted the "great philosopher" Paul McCartney. When asked about the Beatles, the musician called it a "great little band." Wykoff just wanted to have a great little school of public health. The founding dean of the ETSU school has spent two decades dedicated to education and regional well-being. His work has earned him membership in the Tennessee Health Care Hall of Fame, as well as a number of accolades for the college. Under his leadership, it has garnered millions in research funding and national awards for community service, teaching and curriculum. Now, at 70, Wykoff is rounding out his last chapter in academia. He'll retire after the semester ends in May — and maybe enjoy more fly fishing, pickleball and mandolin playing. In the meantime, he's enjoying his last months in the role. "How lucky can you be, to be a dean of public health?" He said. "It's a field that makes a difference in people's lives." The journey to Tennessee Wykoff spent his childhood in Europe, Southeast Asia, Africa and the U.S. because of his father, an Army parasitologist. The younger Wykoff thought he'd eventually return to Africa as a tropical doctor after medical school and residencies in Virginia and Louisiana. The National Health Service Corps, which he owed service to, had other plans. "They sent me to South Carolina to run a six-county health department," Wykoff said. "Which is not Africa." Wykoff shows off an old book about a 19th century explorer, a remnant from his dad's collections about Africa. In the background sits a photo of Wykoff and friends from his '80s band, where he played mandolin. JOY MAZUR/SIX RIVERS MEDIA After four years, the dean progressed to the national stage. The discovery of the first cluster of U.S. children with AIDS, along with frontline work on the virus in the Palmetto State, led to a job as AIDS coordinator for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Throughout the '90s and early 2000s, he worked in high-level roles at the FDA and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, including advisory positions for Congress. Before going to ETSU in 2006, he spent several years as a senior vice president for an international health care nonprofit. "Probably more than anything, what's helped me in this job [at ETSU] is the leadership experience that I had," Wykoff said. "You sort of learn how to work in organizations and get things done and how you need to be mission driven." ETSU: 'Small and world class' In 2006, Wykoff said, there were only about 40 schools of public health in the country. "It was pretty odd that ETSU was going to have a school of public health," he said. "I like to say we were the newest, smallest and the least well-known school in the country at that point." After a rigorous process, the college became the first in Tennessee and central Appalachia to be accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health. Over time, Wykoff added, the university has become more willing to claim it's better than people think it is. "We came up with this idea that you can be small and world class," he said. Wykoff's pride for his school, students and job shines. And he emphasized that he hasn't done it alone. "I have often said that I've never been anywhere where there are more people who want to improve health than here," he said about the region. The job also isn't without humor. In the midst of confusion during the COVID-19 pandemic, Wykoff and his team created a series of public service announcements featuring him as "The Most Interesting Dean in the World." The videos, which parodied Dos Equis' popular commercial campaign, instructed people how to stay safe from the disease. It evolved into a regular animated health series after the pandemic and is now the basis of a forthcoming book. A bobblehead of Wykoff as "The Most Interesting Dean in the World." The moniker comes from a series of public service announcements the dean's team made during the COVID-19 pandemic. JOY MAZUR/SIX RIVERS MEDIA "The idea was serious messaging," Wykoff said. "But short, attention-grabbing and not preaching." Those videos wouldn't have worked without his team, the dean said. In fact, Wykoff's colleagues are what stands out most from his long career. Like the nurse so well known by her community that she became a health educator, or the former military recruiter that became an STD investigator because of his ability to work with young men. "When you can see what someone can do beyond the limitations of their job, that's one of the most rewarding things," he said. As an academic, Wykoff focuses on centering students. So many at ETSU have done incredible things, he said, and are so altruistic. "We're giving them our profession," he said. "All this stuff I've done, they're going to do that and more." Wykoff's book, "Appalachian Health," edited with F. Douglas Scutchfield, stands out on his bookshelf. JOY MAZUR/SIX RIVERS MEDIA