Senior Associate Dean for Medical Education

Effective August 1, 2013, Dr. Darrell Jennings will step down from his role as Senior Associate Dean for Medical Education to focus primarily on his role as chair in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine including the department’s acquisition of the Medical Directorship of the State Public Health Reference Lab in Frankfort. This change concludes the transition which began in August of 2012 when Dr. Jennings assumed the position of departmental chair. Dr. Jennings led the Office of Medical Education for 10 years with a focus on educational quality management and accountability, stressing a balanced approach of strategic and operational oversight. During his tenure, the number of medical school applicants, the matriculant mean MCAT, and Step II USMLE scores all increased significantly. Strategic oversight was accomplished by a joint faculty, student, administrative multi-tiered planning process resulting in a redesign of the M1/M2 curriculum and implementation of a major curriculum reform which continues under the excellent guidance of the Dean’s office faculty and staff. Additional strategic projects during Dr. Jennings’ tenure include the BS-MD accelerated program and Rural Physicians Leadership Program. In 2010, Dr. Jennings oversaw the LCME re-accreditation process which resulted in full accreditation with several strength citations including diversity pipeline programs, student research engagement, and the above mentioned quality management program. I am pleased to announce that Dr. Charles “Chipper” H. Griffith, III, has agreed to assume the role of Senior Associate Dean for Medical Education upon Dr. Jennings’ departure. Dr. Griffith will oversee all aspects of the Office of Medical Education, including medical student admissions, student affairs, curriculum, student evaluation and program assessment; Graduate Medical Education; and combined degree programs. Dr. Griffith has served as Associate Dean for Student Affairs since 2010. He is an educational scholar of national repute having published multiple articles and received numerous awards for his teaching including the AOA/AAMC Robert J. Glaser Distinguished Teacher Award in 2004, the most highly regarded medical school teaching award in the country. In 2006, the Clerkship Directors of Internal Medicine national organization honored Dr. Griffith by renaming their educational research award the Charles H. Griffith Educational Research Award. More recently, Dr. Griffith was profiled in “Leadership Careers in Medical Education”, the American College of Physician’s Teaching Medicine six book series published in 2010. I am confident that Dr. Griffith will continue to build on the quality and excellence of our educational programs and effectively lead us into the next phase of medical education. Please join me in thanking Dr. Jennings for his years of dedication and service to the College of Medicine. The Office of Medical Education has flourished under Dr. Jennings’ leadership. I look forward to working with Dr. Griffith to ensure its continued success. Sincerely, Frederick C. de Beer, M.D. Dean, College of Medicine Vice President for Clinical Academic Affairs