Dean's Update
September 6, 2024 - Aron Sousa, MD
Friends,
This week, I am delighted to announce the first 1964 Project hire, 1855 Associate Professor of Family Medicine Nadia Abuelezam, ScD. She comes to our Department of Family Medicine from the William F. Connell School of Nursing at Boston College with a long history of federally funded work and national engagement in the study of health disparities, particularly among Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) populations. Dr. Abuelezam starts with us October 1, and her chair, Julie Phillips, MD, MPH, is excited that she already has an excellent working relationship with ACCESS, a large community organization serving MENA populations in Southeast Michigan. And, congratulations, Dr. Phillips!As a brief reminder, the 1964 Project is an effort of the Dean’s Advisory Committee on Diversity and each year invites departments to submit proposals for tenure stream positions dedicated to addressing health equity and scholarship in areas related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. This summer, the provost’s office agreed to include our 1964 Project hires in the university’s 1855 Professor program, which is why Dr. Abuelezam is called an 1855 Associate Professor. She and our future 1964 Project hires will be part of the university’s 1855 Professor cohort and will use the 1855 Professor title. This year’s request for proposals (RFP) will come out later in the fall, but you can get a sense of the proposal process from last year’s RFP.
Back in July, President Guskiewicz created the Health Sciences Council as part of the leadership transition following the departure of Dr. Beauchamp. You can read up on the council members, read the president’s communications, and follow the minutes on the council website. Have fun.
For the last few years, the college has had success placing women into the most recognized and valuable leadership programs in the country – ELAM. The Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine program is open to mid-career faculty women who have experience in supervising units including personnel and budget in medical, dental, pharmacy, and public health colleges. Our people have loved the program and keep in touch with their fellow elums after the program. Check out the program and contact your chair to see if the program might be an option for you.
We are facing the end of an era, people. Geri Kelley has announced she will be retiring February 3, 2025. Feel free to begin the rending of clothing. Geri joined the college in 2007 as our first dedicated communications professional during the expansion of the college in Grand Rapids. So many of our accomplishments and opportunities have depended on the talent and hard work of Geri and of her team. She has done work for us across the peninsulas and the country and will leave a remarkable legacy described by the breadth of our reputation and our impact on students, communities, and the nation. We have a little time to sort out our next steps, so don’t start up the tour bus yet. (That last link was from Geri’s most recent and twenty-first Rolling Stones concert!)
Serving the people with you,
Aron
Aron Sousa, MD, FACP
Dean, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine