A search committee has been formed to identify candidates for the next campus dean of the GRU/UGA Medical Partnership in Athens.
It is comprised of 15 members representing UGA, GRU and the Athens community and is responsible for the recruitment and screening of candidates. Houston Davis, USG executive vice chancellor and chief academic officer, will lead the search committee.
“The medical partnership and the Athens campus directly impact the health of the Athens community and play a critical role in improving the health of our state,” said Chancellor Hank Huckaby. “With the search for a new dean underway, we are committed to providing the learning environment and experience for our students, faculty, staff, physicians and patients that continues to thrive. We are committed to ensuring a bright and productive future for the GRU/UGA Medical Partnership in Athens.”
In addition to Davis, other members of the committee include Matt Boegehold, basic science chair and professor of physiology; Chip Carnes, urology resident; Ruth Cline, Athens OBGYN; Kalie Deutsch, medical student, GRU/UGA Medical Partnership class of 2016 vice president; John Francis, campus associate dean for student and multicultural affairs; Jennifer Frum, vice president for public service and outreach; Michele Griffin, administrative specialist, basic sciences department; David Hess, professor and presidential distinguished chair of neurology; Joseph Hobbs, senior associate dean for faculty affairs and primary care, professor and GAFP J.W. Tollison Distinguished University Chair of Family Medicine; Amy Medlock, assistant professor of biochemistry; Robert Sinyard, Athens Regional Cardiology; Steven Stice, D.W. Brooks Distinguished Professor, GRA Eminent Scholar and director of the Regenerative Bioscience Center; Tracy Thompson, executive director of Mercy Clinic; and Paul Wallach, vice dean for academic affairs.
“We have strong representation from UGA, GRU and the Athens community and appreciate the responsibility we have been entrusted with in the search for the next campus dean of the medical partnership,” Davis said. “I want to thank the representatives from faculty, staff, students and the medical community for their service.”
The committee is responsible for recruiting, obtaining community input and conducting on-campus interviews with candidates. At the conclusion of its work, the search committee will forward the credentials of three to five unranked candidates to Peter Buckley, dean of the Medical College of Georgia at GRU, and Pamela Whitten, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost at UGA.
Barbara Schuster, the current campus dean of GRU/UGA Medical Partnership, is stepping down in May.
