Porter named Associate Dean for Student Affairs & Admissions at SMHS
Jim Porter, Ph.D., associate professor in UND’s Department of Biomedical Sciences, has been named associate dean for Student Affairs & Admissions at the UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences (SMHS). A 21-year veteran of the SMHS, Dr. Porter is filling the role previously held by Joycelyn Dorscher, M.D., who is leaving the School on February 19, 2020.
A pharmacologist by training, Porter earned his doctorate from the Creighton University School of Medicine in Omaha, Neb., in 1993. He then worked as a postdoctoral fellow for both the National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association in Nebraska and Ohio before making his way to North Dakota in 1999.
“I’m very enthusiastic about being given the opportunity to take on this new and exciting challenge, which assists in the guidance and preparation of medical students to succeed in our state’s health care future,” said Porter.
A veteran researcher and grant-writer who has spent much time in the lab, Porter is also an award-winning and student-focused instructor. Among other awards, he has been recognized as an “Outstanding Block Instructor” by UND medical students several times over, is well-known for his work in helping develop the School’s patient-centered learning (PCL) curriculum, and earned an “Elements of Effective Instruction” certification from UND.
As associate dean for Student Affairs & Admissions, Dr. Porter will provide guidance, counseling, and referral for medical students with academic, personal, career, financial, and/or family concerns as needed. He will also monitor medical student academic progress and professionalism; support residency applications and medical students’ annual residency “match” process; serve as a member of the School’s Executive, Admissions, and Governance committees as an advocate for students; act as the SMHS Title IX liaison; and maintain Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) accreditation standards.
He remains a member of the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and the North Dakota Academy of Science, and is a United States Pharmacopeia (USP) Convention Delegate.
“I’m pleased that Dr. Porter accepted my offer to succeed Dr. Dorscher as the new associate dean of Student Affairs & Admissions,” noted UND’s interim president and dean of the SMHS Joshua Wynne, M.D., M.B.A., M.P.H. “I want to thank Dr. Dorscher for her eight years of service to UND and wish her all the best in the future.”
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Brian James Schill
Assistant Director, Office of Alumni & Community Relations
University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences
701.777.2733 direct | 701.777.4305 office
brian.schill@UND.edu | med.und.edu