Description

The Associate Dean, Academic Affairs – Medical Education is an administrative leadership role with a non-tenure track faculty appointment as an Open Rank Professor in one of the HCOM academic departments (Primary Care, Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine, Specialty Medicine, Biomedical Sciences, or Social Medicine). As a faculty leader, the Associate Dean contributes to the College’s missions of teaching, curriculum innovation, educational scholarship, faculty development, and academic governance while providing strategic leadership for foundational medical education. This role provides academic leadership for the foundational (non-clinical) components of the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine curriculum. The Associate Dean is responsible for the design, integration, delivery, assessment, and continuous improvement of the pre-clerkship curriculum and serves as a principal faculty authority for educational quality, learner assessment, curriculum innovation, and academic standards.

The Associate Dean exercises academic judgment regarding curriculum content, instructional methods, competency expectations, learner assessment, and student progression. This position actively participates in teaching, faculty development, educational scholarship, and shared governance, ensuring that the curriculum remains aligned with institutional priorities and accreditation standards. This position works in close collaboration with the Associate Dean, Academic Affairs – Clinical Education to ensure vertical and horizontal integration across the four-year curriculum and to maintain compliance with Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) standards.

Curriculum Leadership & Oversight

• Provide academic leadership for biomedical, social, behavioral, population health, ethics, professionalism, and health systems sciences.
• Lead curriculum design, mapping, review, integration and continuous quality improvement activities.
• Ensure alignment of learning objectives, instructional methods, assessments and program outcomes across campuses.
• Collaborate with course directors, faculty leaders, Associate Deans, governance committees, operational teams, and institutional partners to ensure coordinated, high-quality educational experiences across campuses.
• Collaborate with the Associate Dean, Academic Affairs – Clinical Education to support curricular integration and readiness for clinical training.
• Participate in shared academic governance and policy development related to assessment, progression, remediation, and promotion.
• Support faculty development in instructional design, teaching effectiveness, and assessment practices.

Assessment, Evaluation & Continuous Quality Improvement

• Provide leadership for learner assessment strategy, including written and performance-based assessments.
• Oversee analysis and interpretation of learner and program outcomes data using psychometric and assessment principles.
• Conduct or oversee item analysis, standard setting, benchmarking, and review of licensure examination performance indicators.
• Lead continuous quality improvement activities related to curriculum, assessment, and academic outcomes.

Accreditation & Governance

• Contribute to accreditation preparation, self-study, reporting, and ongoing compliance activities.
• Collaborate with institutional leaders and governance bodies to maintain curricular approvals, catalog accuracy, degree requirements, academic calendars, and academic records.
• Engage regularly with the College Curriculum Committee (CCC) regarding curricular revisions, assessment strategies, learner outcomes, and accreditation-related matters.
• Partner with the Associate Dean, Academic Affairs – Clinical Education on curricular proposals requiring University Curriculum Council (UCC) review and approval.

Student Academic Oversight

• Oversee academic policies and procedures related to academic standing, progression, promotion, remediation, and student academic performance.
• Ensures a high-quality, consistent student learning experience across campuses.

Strategic Leadership & Innovation

• Leads strategic initiatives such as curriculum reform, educational and technology innovations and adoption, and development of educational programs, tracks, electives, and other academic initiatives.
• Provides academic oversight and direction to pre-clerkship curriculum leadership, including course directors, faculty leads and curriculum liaisons and collaborates with operational and administrative teams responsible for curriculum support and delivery.

College Curriculum Committee (CCC)

The Associate Dean for Academic Affairs – Medical Education engages regularly with the College Curriculum Committee (CCC) as part of the College’s shared academic governance structure. Responsibilities include:

• Present proposed changes to foundational and non-clinical curriculum content, structure, sequencing, and assessment methods for CCC review and recommendation.
• Provide curriculum mapping analyses, learner outcomes data, and continuous quality improvement findings to inform CCC deliberations and decision-making.
• Collaborate with CCC leadership and members to address accreditation-related requirements, curricular revisions, and alignment with institutional and national standards.
• Partner with the Associate Dean, Academic Affairs – Clinical Education on curricular proposals requiring CCC consideration and subsequent University Curriculum Council (UCC) approval, including catalog updates, degree audit requirements, and course listing changes.

Faculty Responsibilities

• Maintain an active faculty appointment and contribute to the teaching mission of the College through clinical skills instruction, learner assessment, curriculum development, and other educational activities.
• Participate in educational scholarship, clinical education innovation, and dissemination of best practices in medical education.
• Serve as a faculty leader in academic governance, curriculum oversight, and assessment decision-making.
• Mentor faculty, clerkship directors, and clinical preceptors and support faculty development related to teaching, assessment, feedback, and competency-based education.
• Contribute to institutional service and committee activities consistent with faculty expectations and responsibilities.
• Contribute a minimum of 5% effort to medical school teaching activities, including curriculum design and enhancement, delivery of instructional content, facilitation of active learning sessions, provision of backup teaching support when faculty coverage is needed, and development, review, and validation of assessment tools, including written examination questions and other evaluative instruments.

Requirements

M.D., D.O., Ph.D. or equivalent terminal degree in a related field, 15 or more years of related professional experience, and 9 or more years of supervisory experience, or equivalent education and experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Doctoral degree in education, pedagogy, curriculum, assessment, medical education, or a closely related field (Ed.D., Ph.D., or equivalent).
  • D.O. or M.D. degree, combined with significant leadership experience in medical education, will be considered.
• Progressively responsible experience in medical or health professions education, including curriculum leadership, faculty collaboration, and outcomes-informed improvement.
• Expertise in curriculum design, assessment, and evaluation in medical or health professions education.
• Knowledge of undergraduate medical education and contemporary instructional methods.
• Knowledge of COCA accreditation standards relevant to curriculum and academic affairs.
• Ability to collaborate effectively across multiple campuses and stakeholder groups.
• Strong communication, leadership, facilitation, and change-management skills.