Westchester Magazine Celebrates Iona College Provost as ‘Healthcare Hero’
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. — Iona College’s Darrell P. Wheeler, Ph.D., MPH, ACSW, provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs, has been named one of Westchester Magazine’s Healthcare Heroes by Today Media. He is one of 16 winners featured in the May issue of the magazine and will be celebrated in the virtual ceremony on May 13.
“While many colleges were still coming to terms with the questions surrounding COVID-19, Dr. Wheeler was already developing the answers to help us navigate through unprecedented times,” said Iona College President Seamus Carey, Ph.D. “This award is well deserved, and we are truly blessed for all he has done to keep our campus and community safe.”
Drawing on his experience as a nationally recognized leader in infectious disease – particularly in the areas of HIV prevention and intervention; minority health disparities; and LGBTQ community health – Wheeler played a leading role in shaping Iona’s protocols for COVID-19 prevention, monitoring and response. At the same time, he innovated to ensure that students received a robust academic experience, whether attending classes virtually or in person. In fact, as Iona was one of the first colleges in the nation to close campus and move to virtual instruction in March 2020, Iona was also one of the first to reopen for in-person instruction in August 2020, completing a successful academic year thanks to the policies and procedures Wheeler and the Iona Task Force developed.
Wheeler has served as Iona’s provost since July 1, 2018. Among his many distinctions, he has served as vice chair of the U.S. Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (2016-17) and president of the U.S. Board of the National Association of Social Workers (2014-2017).
“I am truly honored by this award, but as I always say, there is no ‘I’ in ‘team,’” Wheeler said. “I share this recognition with everyone at Iona who has worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic to make sure our students, campus and communities remained healthy, safe, active and engaged despite the challenging times in which we found ourselves. My congratulations and thanks to all the other ‘Healthcare Heroes’ who are out there serving on the front lines.”
ABOUT IONA
Founded in 1940, Iona University is a master's-granting private, Catholic, coeducational institution of learning in the tradition of the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers. Iona's 45-acre New Rochelle campus and 28-acre Bronxville campus are just 20 miles north of Midtown Manhattan. With a total enrollment of nearly 4,000 students and an alumni base of more than 50,000 around the world, Iona is a diverse community of learners and scholars dedicated to academic excellence and the values of justice, peace and service. Iona is highly accredited, offering undergraduate degrees in liberal arts, science and business administration, as well as Master of Arts, Master of Science and Master of Business Administration degrees and numerous advanced certificate programs. Iona students enjoy small class sizes, engaged professors and a wide array of academic programs across the School of Arts & Science; LaPenta School of Business; NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences; and Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. Iona is widely recognized in prestigious rankings, including The Princeton Review’s 2024 national list of “The Best 389 Colleges” and The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse’s “2024 Best Colleges in America,” which ranked Iona at #66 in the nation overall and #8 in the nation among Catholic schools. Iona’s LaPenta School of Business is also accredited by AACSB International, a recognition awarded to just six percent of business schools worldwide. In addition, The Princeton Review recognized Iona’s on-campus MBA program as a “Best Business School for 2023.” Iona also offers a fully online MBA program for even greater flexibility. In July 2021, Iona announced the establishment of the NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences, which is now principally located on Iona’s Bronxville campus in collaboration with NewYork-Presbyterian. Connecting to its Irish heritage, the University also recently announced it is expanding abroad with a new campus in County Mayo, Ireland. A school on the rise, Iona officially changed its status from College to University on July 1, 2022, reflecting the growth of its academic programs and the prestige of an Iona education.