Three finalists selected for SMHS dean/VP for Health Affairs

Open forums, interviews for next School of Medicine & Health Sciences leader scheduled Aug. 27 through Sept. 6

Three finalists for the position of UND vice president for health affairs and dean of the School of Medicine & Health Sciences have been invited to campus the weeks of Aug. 26 and Sept. 2 for interviews and open forums.

UND’s next vice president/dean will build upon the School of Medicine & Health Sciences’ strengths and springboard off its place as a recognized leading center for instruction in rural medicine, Indigenous health, and interprofessional, collaborative care to enhance its national reputation and contribute in meaningful and positive ways to the future of health care in the state of North Dakota.

The schedule for campus participation is below, as well as biographical information provided by the finalists. More details, including Zoom links for open forum participation, can be found on the search website.

Dr. Stephen Scott – Aug. 27-28

• Tuesday, Aug. 27 – Staff Session, 10 a.m., SMHS, Room E221
• Tuesday, Aug. 27 – Student Luncheon, 12 p.m., SMHS, Room E223
• Tuesday, Aug. 27 – Open Forum, 2 p.m., SMHS, Room E221
• Wednesday, Aug. 28 – Faculty Session, 11 a.m., SMHS Room W206

Stephen Scott, M.D., M.P.H., currently serves as the senior associate dean for education at the Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine. In this role, Dr. Scott drives the strategic vision for the college’s educational programs, overseeing the offices of Outreach and Student Pathways, Admissions, Student Affairs, Medical Education, Assessment and Quality Improvement, Graduate Medical Education, Faculty Development, and Faculty Affairs.

Dr. Scott is dedicated to advancing learner success across the spectrum of health professions education. He has a proven track record of spearheading innovative educational programs both domestically and internationally, and his leadership focuses on equipping the next generation to solve future healthcare challenges. By cultivating curiosity, compassion, skill, and creativity, he prepares leaders who will transform health and healthcare.

Before joining the Fertitta Family College of Medicine, Dr. Scott played a key role in the development of the Burnett School of Medicine at Texas Christian University, where he served as chair of the Department of Medical Education and senior associate dean for educational affairs and accreditation. Prior to his work at TCU, Dr. Scott contributed to the growth of Weill Cornell Medicine – Qatar, serving as assistant dean for medical education and associate dean for student affairs.

Dr. Scott has also had an instrumental role in leading the collaborative development of online virtual patient cases now used in most medical schools in the U.S. and Canada as well as a growing number of other health professions schools. He is the recipient of multiple grants and awards for educational leadership and innovation.

Dr. Scott holds a Bachelor of Arts in Biochemistry and a Bachelor of Music from Rice University. He earned his medical degree at Baylor College of Medicine and completed his Family Medicine residency at the University of Washington, where he served as co-chief resident. He has completed additional fellowships in medical education and earned a Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Dr. Marjorie Jenkins – Sept. 3-4

• Tuesday, Sept. 3 – Staff Session, 10 a.m., SMHS, Room E221
• Tuesday, Sept. 3 – Student Luncheon, 12 p.m., SMHS, Room E221
• Tuesday, Sept. 3 – Open Forum, 2 p.m., SMHS, Room E221
• Wednesday, Sept. 4 – Faculty Session, 11 a.m., SMHS Room W202

Dr. Marjorie Jenkins has held executive leadership positions across academia and the federal government. Most recently, she served as the dean of the University of South Carolina (USC) School of Medicine Greenville, associate provost for the University of South Carolina, and chief academic officer for Prisma Health-Upstate. Prior to joining USC, Dr. Jenkins spent her academic career at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) where she was the founding executive director and chief scientific officer for the Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health, the J. Avery Rush Endowed Chair for Excellence in Women’s Health Research, associate dean for Women Faculty and (tenured) professor of Internal Medicine. Dr. Jenkins holds the following degrees: BS Chemical Engineering, Doctor of Medicine, and Master of Education in the Health Professions. She completed an internal medicine residency at the University of Cincinnati.

As a visionary leader, Dr. Jenkins has cultivated research and educational programs across academic institutions and national programs. She successfully steered TTUHSC’s Laura W. Bush Institute to global recognition and statewide growth across five campuses and schools of health professions. During her USCSOMG deanship, SOMG received its first 8-yr LCME accreditation and the first of several NIH grants. She also launched the school’s first 3-year Primary Care Accelerated Track (PCAT) program to provide family medicine providers to rural South Carolina and worked with leadership and faculty on a successful curriculum renovation.

During her career, Dr. Jenkins has worked successfully with academic philanthropy teams resulting in $30M of funding to support of research endowments, student scholarships, and medical education. She has delivered 150+ presentations to audiences world-wide, co-authored numerous scientific works, and served as an expert advisor to various HRSA, NIH, and NASA efforts. She is a clinician dedicated to high quality evidence-based care to all.

Dr. Elizabeth Petty – Sept. 5-6

• Thursday, Sept. 5 – Staff Session, 10 a.m., SMHS, Room E221
• Thursday, Sept. 5 – Student Luncheon, 12 p.m., SMHS, Room E223
• Thursday, Sept. 5 – Open Forum, 2 p.m., SMHS, Room W203
• Friday, Sept. 6 – Faculty Session, 11 a.m., SMHS Room E221

Elizabeth M. Petty, MD, (she/they), senior associate dean of academic affairs, medical director of the Genetic Counselor Training Program, co-director for the AMA SMPH LGBTQ+ Health Fellowship, and professor of Pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (UW-SMPH), oversees multiple health professional degree programs and guides the academic missions of GME, CME, global health, and learner diversity programs at UW-SMPH. She received a B.A. in art history and human biology at Clarke University, Dubuque, Iowa, completed her medical degree UW-SMPH and pediatric residency training at UW Health, and conducted clinical and molecular genetics postdoctoral training at Yale University.

As an ACMGG board certified geneticist, she cares for people with genetic conditions. Prior to joining the faculty at UW-SMPH, Dr. Petty was a professor of internal medicine and human genetics at the University of Michigan Medical School where she served in multiple leadership roles and supported learning in classrooms, clinics, communities, and research settings. During the last three decades she has championed the development and implementation of innovative curricula, enhanced admissions and student support programs, helped build equity and inclusion initiatives, and conducted innovative basic science, social science, and education research.

She has been ELAM and AAMC Council of Deans fellows, as well as a founding member of the Kern National Network for Flourishing in Academic Medicine, which focuses on human flourishing through promoting caring, character, and practical wisdom. In addition to publishing numerous manuscripts and book chapters, she was a senior editor of The Equal Curriculum: The Student and Educator Guide to LGBTQ Health. She also leads the inaugural AMA Foundation UW-SMPH LGBTQ+ Health Fellowship.

Dr. Petty enjoys creating innovative curricular and learner support programs, building diversity and inclusion programs that promote heath equity, strengthening academic-community partnerships to optimize health, driving strategic improvement processes to improve academic outcomes, and enhancing interprofessional institutional initiatives to promote respect, professionalism, and well-being. Outside of work she enjoys spending time in nature, writing songs, and playing various musical instruments.