Beginning July 1, the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, the School of Public Health and Health Services and the School of Nursing will operate as three separate entities.
Under the new structure, the deans of the three schools will report directly to Steven Lerman, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. The three schools will also maintain separate budgets for their staff and operations. The dean of the medical school will also manage the relationships with the GW Hospital and the GW Medical Faculty Associates and have the title of vice provost for health affairs.
“We believe this new structure will position the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, the School of Public Health and Health Services and the School of Nursing to achieve the greatest possible success moving forward,” said Dr. Lerman. “We have outstanding faculty, staff and students at all three schools, and I believe this new model will continue to strengthen the excellent work being done.”
This new structure was recommended by a team of independent experts, who completed an organizational assessment based on more than 30 interviews with stakeholders during the first phase of the Medical Center review.
The multiphase review was requested last May by the Medical Center Committee of the Board of Trustees in view of the approaching 10th anniversary of the creation of the center’s current structure, the changing conditions of the health care marketplace as a result of local competition and health care reform legislation and the university’s commitment to raising the center’s academic stature.
President Steven Knapp and Dr. Lerman held several town hall meetings over the past few months about the future of the structure of the three schools to gather feedback from stakeholders.
During the second phase of the review, the Medical Center Advisory Committee – composed of deans, students, faculty and senior administrative staff from the three schools, the GW Hospital and the MFA – examined the Medical Center’s governance, finances, academic and research resources and other services that are currently shared among the schools.