Joseph T. Steensma, a professor of practice in the School of Public Health, has been installed as the inaugural E. Desmond and Mary Ann Lee Professor at Washington University in St. Louis. An installation ceremony took place Feb. 11 in Ridgley Hall’s Holmes Lounge. The event drew a wide cross-section of attendees — family members, students and faculty from across WashU, university leaders, business collaborators and guests joining online from around the world — reflecting the impact of Steensma’s work.
Steensma integrates science and entrepreneurship to advance public health. He has founded and led multiple businesses focused on translating research into real-world solutions, with a goal of addressing pressing public health challenges at scale.
The E. Desmond and Mary Ann Lee Professorship, established in 2007, supports entrepreneurship across WashU and may be awarded in any school. Housed within the Skandalaris Center for Interdisciplinary Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the professorship is designed to foster innovation across disciplines.
At the installation, Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH, the Margaret C. Ryan Dean of the School of Public Health, framed Steensma’s career as a model of public health scholarship — analytically serious and explicitly oriented toward use. Galea also is the Eugene S. and Constance Kahn Distinguished Professor in Public Health and vice provost of interdisciplinary initiatives.
“His work on environmental exposures, sustainable systems and global health enterprise reflects a deep engagement with how markets and institutions shape health,” Galea said. “I have long written about the fact that public health, from my perspective, is a pragmatic discipline. Since I’ve had the privilege of joining this university, I have met very few scholars who embody that as much as Professor Steensma does.”
Following Galea’s remarks, Provost Mark D. West presented the medallion signifying Steensma’s installation. Gesturing to the packed room, West said the moment carried both professional and personal significance. “There are some feelings in this room,” he said.
II Luscri, assistant vice provost for innovation and entrepreneurship and managing director of the Skandalaris Center and a professor of practice at Olin Business School, said the goal was to recognize a faculty member who “transcends the entire university community.”
“Joe is someone who has consistently shown up across schools, programs and roles at WashU — as a teacher, a mentor, a collaborator, and a trusted partner to students and colleagues alike,” Luscri said.
Steensma’s installation address, “Finding the Light: What a Liberal Arts Education Gives the Entrepreneur,” reflected on the formative role of broad-based education in shaping innovative leadership.
Recalling a pivotal moment in a college botany lab, Steensma described learning that a microscope’s power meant little without illumination — a lesson that became a guiding metaphor for his life. “Magnification does not matter if you don’t have the right light,” Steensma said. “You can study and study, but if you don’t have the right light, you will not see the cell, or you will not see the problem.”
He told students and colleagues that a liberal arts education provides “different forms of light” — perspectives that allow leaders to see complexity, connect disciplines and develop solutions others might overlook. “Find your light and shine it all over the world,” he said.
About Joe Steensma
Steensma teaches courses in biostatistics, environmental health and the public health implications of climate change, preparing students to apply analytic tools to urgent problems.
A former president of the Board of Health in Fort Wayne, Ind., Steensma played a pivotal role in implementing one of the earliest and most comprehensive public smoking bans in the U.S. He has served on numerous nonprofit boards and continues to support research exploring the relationship between human health and the natural environment. An avid naturalist, he is the author of three field guides on birds.
Steensma has founded and led multiple ventures focused on measuring and managing environmental and occupational exposures, improving workplace safety, supporting environmental compliance and strengthening health communication.
His work extends internationally through academic and advisory roles in the United Kingdom and Australia, where he collaborates with engineers, scientists and policymakers to develop and scale solutions to environmental and public health challenges.
He previously served as an environmental science officer in the U.S. Army Reserve, where he provided preventive medicine and environmental health expertise to protect troops and surrounding communities from chemical, biological and physical hazards.
About E. Desmond and Mary Ann Lee
Mary Ann and E. Desmond “Des” Lee, BSBA ’40, had an extraordinary and lasting impact on the quality of life in St. Louis. For their service to the region, they received the Jane and Whitney Harris St. Louis Community Service Award in 2003 and the NAACP Humanitarian Award in 2004.
Mary Ann Lee (1926-2017) devoted her time and resources to helping young people succeed. She was active in the Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club and Junior Achievement and supported literacy through WiseWrite, a collaborative playwriting program. She also served on the boards of numerous organizations, including John Burroughs School, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, the Sheldon Theatre and Forest Park Forever.
Des Lee (1917-2010) attended WashU, where he was a varsity athlete in track and basketball. While still a student, he co-founded Lee-Rowan Manufacturing Co. in 1939, which grew into a leading manufacturer of wire shelving. After selling the company in 1993, he devoted himself to philanthropy, ultimately giving more than $70 million to a long list of local and regional educational and cultural institutions. WashU benefited greatly from his contributions, including support for business programs, scholarships, the arts and cancer research. He received an honorary doctorate in philosophy in 1998 and the Robert S. Brookings Award in 2000, among many other honors.
