Vice President for Health Affairs and Dean of SMHS Search
UND is conducting a search for its next vice president for health affairs and dean of the School of Medicine & Health Sciences
The University of North Dakota (UND) is home to one of only 36 community-based medical schools in the country that neither own nor operate their own hospital. As the only medical school in North Dakota, which maintains campuses in North Dakota’s four largest communities, the UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences (SMHS/School) works in close partnership with the six larger and dozens of smaller hospitals across the state, relying on more than 1,300 community faculty to teach our students.
Working through the state-supported Healthcare Workforce Initiative (HWI), UND is building the health care provider workforce for the state of North Dakota that will improve access to care and lead to healthier lives. In support of the HWI and increasing UND’s capacity to educate much-needed health providers for the state and beyond, the North Dakota Legislature fully funded a new $124 million, 325,000 square-foot facility that opened in 2016. Today, two out of every three family physicians in the state received their medical degree from and/or completed their residency at UND.
The SMHS also houses programs for the training of physical and occupational therapists, physician assistants, athletic trainers, medical laboratory scientists, and public and Indigenous health professionals. Students from each of these programs train together via the SMHS Interprofessional Education program, which includes training in our cutting-edge Simulation Center. Moreover, the School’s faculty also teach courses in a variety of biomedical sciences (anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, biochemistry, microbiology, immunology) that enroll over 1,000 undergraduate students each year who will become therapists, nurses, dietitians, exercise scientists, public health professionals, and forensic scientists.Together, we are shaping the future of health care.
UND seeks a dynamic and visionary leader who will build upon the School of Medicine & Health Sciences’ strengths to provide exceptional professional educational experiences, recruit, and develop outstanding faculty, and promote faculty-driven scholarly and creative endeavors. From rural healthcare to research programs, to individual scholarship, the spirit of service and discovery on our campus is central to our mission and a critical element of the UND LEADS strategic plan. Our vice president will catalyze opportunities for funding, support academic fields across health disciplines, and create opportunities for our faculty, staff, and students to grow intellectually.
The search committee is lead by co-chairs Art Malloy, vice president for student affairs, and Maridee Shogren, dean of the College of Nursing and Professional Disciplines, with the support of search consultants from WittKieffer.
Consultants with WittKieffer conducted focus groups with constitutent groups in early April. The search committee utilized information gained through the focus group discussions to inform a university profile used for recruitment purposes. Recruitment for the position opened mid-May (see position information and application).