The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Heersink School of Medicine invites applications and nominations for the position of Senior Associate Dean for Medical Education and Chair of the Department of Medical Education. This is an extraordinary opportunity to lead one of the nation’s most comprehensive medical education enterprises while serving as the holder of the Paul and Martha Burleson Endowed Chair in Medical Education.
The Heersink School of Medicine is shaping the future of healthcare through a distinctive commitment to educational innovation, scientific discovery, and exceptional clinical care, preparing learners to lead in a rapidly evolving healthcare environment. Serving more than 2,500 learners across undergraduate, graduate, and continuing medical education programs, the School is committed to developing the next generation of physicians, scientists, and healthcare leaders while advancing excellence across the full continuum of medical education.
As a member of the Dean's senior leadership team, the Senior Associate Dean will provide strategic vision and executive oversight for undergraduate medical education, graduate medical education, continuing medical education, physician-scientist development, premedical undergraduate and graduate biomedical programs, international medical education, and pathway initiatives spanning K–12 through faculty development. The successful candidate will also serve as Chair of the Department of Medical Education, leading a nationally recognized department dedicated to educational scholarship, faculty development, and curricular advancement.
The Senior Associate Dean will join a deeply integrated academic health system in which the Heersink School of Medicine and UAB Medicine are aligned around a shared commitment to learner success, clinical impact, and scientific advancement. Partnering with Health System executives, department chairs, faculty, learners, alumni, and philanthropic partners, this leader will advance a unified educational mission by overseeing accreditation and continuous quality improvement efforts, strengthening educational infrastructure, advancing faculty development and academic leadership, and cultivating innovative programs that prepare future healthcare professionals to meet the evolving needs of patients and communities.
The successful candidate will be an accomplished academic medical leader with substantial experience in medical education and LCME accreditation. They will have demonstrated success leading complex educational programs or initiatives within academic medicine, building effective partnerships across academic, clinical, and administrative stakeholders, and advancing organizational change, educational transformation, operational effectiveness, and strategic growth. Candidates must qualify for appointment as an Associate or Full Professor in the Heersink School of Medicine and be eligible for Alabama licensure, where applicable.
The next Senior Associate Dean will join the Heersink School of Medicine during a period of remarkable momentum and opportunity. Building on an established foundation of success, this leader will help define the next chapter of medical education while expanding the school's impact on learners, faculty, and the communities it serves.
Download Position Prospectus
Procedure for Candidacy
All applications, nominations, and inquiries are invited. Applications should include, as separate documents, a CV/resume and a letter of interest. Please direct all nominations and applications to Jennifer Dunn, Administrative Director, Strategic Leadership Recruitment, Heersink School of Medicine, Dean’s Office at jennilb@uab.edu or via the application portal.
Search Committee
Co-Chairs
Irfan Asif, MD
Professor and Chair, Family and Community Medicine
Heersink Endowed Professorship in Sports and Exercise Medicine
Associate Dean for Primary Care & Rural Health
UAB Heersink School of Medicine
Lisa Willett, MD, MACM
Executive Vice Chair of Education and Faculty Development, Department of Medicine
Professor, Division of General Internal Medicine and Population Science
UAB Heersink School of Medicine
Committee Members
Bradley Barger, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Cell, Development and Integrative Biology
Chair, Medical Education Committee Preclinical Subcommittee Chair
UAB Heersink School of Medicine
Chad Burski, MD
Associate Professor, Department of Medicine
Gastroenterology and Hepatology Fellowship Director
UAB Heersink School of Medicine
Nathan Erdmann, MD, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Medicine
Associate Clinical Director, Physician Scientist Development Office
UAB Heersink School of Medicine
Toni Leeth, MPH
Chief of Staff, UAB Health System
Cristina Magi-Galluzzi, MD, PhD, FCAP
Professor and Chair, Department of Pathology
The Robert and Ruth Anderson Endowed Chair in Pathology
UAB Heersink School of Medicine
Braden McFarland, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Cell, Development, and Integrative Biology
Co-director, Undergraduate Cancer Biology Program
UAB Heersink School of Medicine
Will Rutland, MD, JD, MPH
Assistant Professor
Regional Chair of Psychiatry
Psychiatry Residency Director
UAB Heersink School of Medicine, Montgomery Regional Campus
Deepti Sharma, MD
Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Clerkship Director, OB/Gyn
UAB Heersink School of Medicine
John J. Shacka, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Neurobiology
Director, MS Program in Multidisciplinary Biomedical Science (MSMBS)
Co-Director, Blazer BRAIN Summer REU
UAB Heersink School of Medicine
Grier Stewart, MD, CMD, FACP
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education
Clinical Professor, Department of Family, Internal and Rural Medicine
College of Community Health Sciences
The University of Alabama
UAB Heersink School of Medicine, Tuscaloosa Regional Campus
Parekha Yedla, MD, FACP
Professor, Department of Internal Medicine
UAB Heersink School of Medicine, Huntsville Regional Campus
UAB is an Equal Employment/Equal Educational Opportunity Institution dedicated to providing equal opportunities and equal access to all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, ethnic or national origin, sex (including pregnancy), genetic information, age, disability, and veteran’s status. As required by Title IX, UAB prohibits sex discrimination in any education program or activity that it operates. Individuals may report concerns or questions to UAB’s Assistant Vice President and Senior Title IX Coordinator. The Title IX notice of nondiscrimination is located at uab.edu/titleix.