Powell Elected Chair of AAMC Deans

FOR RELEASE

Contacts: Jonell Rusinko, Academic Health Center, 612.624.5680
               Molly Portz, Academic Health Center, 612.625.2640

U of M DEAN DEBORAH POWELL ELECTED
CHAIR OF THE AAMC COUNCIL OF DEANS

MINNEAPOLIS/ST.PAUL (Nov. 30, 2004) -- The University of Minnesota’s Dean of the Medical School, Deborah Powell, was elected chair of the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) Council of Deans and assumes leadership immediately. The AAMC is a nonprofit association representing all 125 accredited U.S. and 17 accredited Canadian medical schools. The Council of Deans focuses on continuing improvement of the nation’s medical schools. The Council identifies issues affecting academic medicine and develops strategies to achieve the various missions of medical schools. 

As chair of the Council of Deans, Powell will address the policies guiding the AAMC in its service and advocacy functions; programs for the advancement of institutional management; and support for the deans’ leadership role in guiding individual schools toward excellence in medical education, research, and patient care.

As dean of the U of M’s Medical School, Powell is committed to ensuring that the school is a leader in enhancing the health of people through education of the next generation of physicians, biomedical research, and clinical care.

Powell was the first female dean of the University’s Medical School and one of just nine female deans among the 125 U.S. medical schools. Powell was also the first dean in nearly 90 years to come to the position from outside the University.

Prior to her appointment at the University of Minnesota in 2002, Powell served as the executive dean of the University of Kansas School of Medicine and vice chancellor for clinical affairs for five years.  She was also appointed to the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education’s Board of Directors.  Powell also served as president of United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology, the oldest and largest of the International Academy of Pathology’s 54 worldwide divisions.  Powell received her M.D. from Tufts University School of Medicine and completed residency training at Georgetown University Medical Center and the Clinical Center of the National Institutes of Health.

The Academic Health Center is home to the University of Minnesota’s six health professional schools and colleges as well as several health-related centers and institutes. Founded in 1851, the University is one of the oldest and largest land grant institutions in the country. The AHC prepares the new health professionals who improve the health of communities, discover and deliver new treatments and cures, and strengthen the health economy.

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