EPItome extends a warm welcome to John Paulson, Epi's new Academic Coordinator. To learn a little more about John, EPItome grilled him with 10 Questions.
Before you came to HSPH, what did you do? During the 2008-2009 school year I was on the faculty at UMass Amherst conducting the choirs and teaching conducting classes. In the seven years prior to that I worked at the New England Conservatory. For two of those years I was the Assistant Registrar and for the last five I worked in admissions.
How has the transition to the Epi Department been? Everyone I work with has been terrific – staff, faculty and students. I feel a real sense of community and collaborative effort in the Epidemiology Department. There’s an incredible amount of information to digest and I’m fortunate that there are so many people willing to help me learn. Every day I’m doing something different, and that’s exciting.
Do you have any grand plans for improving the department? In collaboration with Fran Cook, Hans-Olov Adami and the Student Advisory Committee I am working on ways in which we can address our students’ concerns about funding. One goal is to provide comprehensive, understandable information in a timely and easily accessible manner in hopes that this will help prospective, incoming and current students better comprehend all of their options. I’m also looking forward to how the full implementation of the new online admissions system (I don’t know if that’s a very good description of it) will affect the admissions process in the department. Hopefully, with the help of the Admissions Department, we can develop a highly efficient and user friendly process for everyone involved.
In John: The Movie, what actor would play the title role? If I’m being realistic, maybe someone like Greg Kinnear. I’d prefer Paul Newman from 1965 though.
What do you do for fun when you’re away from the Epi Department? My educational background is in music, so I have a few musical outlets. I conduct a church choir in Harvard Square that rehearses on Thursday nights and then, of course, sings on Sundays. When I have some time at home I like to pull out my guitar and play some of the few songs I know, or learn new ones. My wife is a singer and performs fairly often around Boston, so I frequently get to hear good, live music as a result. My dad taught me to golf when I was 8 and I’ve been playing ever since. I don’t get to play as much as I’d like these days, but I try to get out occasionally when the weather’s nice.
What book(s) are you currently reading? I’d like to say I’m reading a classic, or something challenging, but I’m actually reading “The Likeness” by Tana French.
When you get a much deserved vacation, what’s your dream destination? I’ve never been to Italy, so that’s next on my list. I’d love to spend a few weeks there, mostly in some out-of-the-way place near the water with a short trip or two to Florence and/or Venice.
What do you consider your greatest success? Getting my wife to marry me.
Where did you grow up? Tell us a bit about it… I grew up in Iowa. Up through 3rd grade I lived in the very small town of Inwood, population 700. As a little kid I thought it was great. There were many other kids my age, and I could ride my bike anywhere without some of the fears that come with being in a bigger place. My family moved to Anamosa, Iowa in the summer before my 10th birthday. Anamosa is on the opposite side of the state and I wasn’t too happy about moving so far away from all my friends. It’s a town of about 5000 people, which seemed relatively large to me. I lived there until I graduated from high school and moved to Decorah, Iowa to attend Luther College.
If you could have a musical artist perform for your next birthday, who would it be? It’s tough to choose just one. Could I have a joint concert with Rufus Wainwright and Radiohead?