H. David Wilson at the Council of Deans Administrative
Board Meeting in September.
Dean of Deans
This fall, UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences Dean H. David Wilson, M.D., took over the reigns as chair of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Council of Deans.
The first North Dakota dean to hold such a high office in the AAMC, Wilson presides over the meetings of
the council consisting of 126 medical school deans of schools that are members of the AAMC, chairs the council’s governing body called the Administrative Board, and represents the deans on both the AAMC Executive Council and its 10-member executive committee.
“I feel gratified that my colleagues chose me to represent this extremely talented group,” said Wilson. “It is an honor for me, the medical school, the university and the state.”
UND President Charles Kupchella agrees.
“This is a terrific honor for Dean Wilson and for the University of North Dakota,” he said. “To be named ‘Dean of Deans’ by the deans is clearly no small matter. It surely shows that he is highly respected as a leading figure in American medical education. We’re lucky to have him.”
The AAMC Council of Deans represents the deans from all 126 U.S. and 17 Canadian accredited medical schools. The group identifies issues affecting academic medicine including 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.
“The AAMC Council of Deans is instrumental in guiding the association’s efforts toward excellence in medical education, research and patient care,” said Darrell Kirch, M.D., AAMC president. “He is a wise and experienced leader, and we at the AAMC, as well as his colleagues across the country, look forward to David Wilson’s leadership as chair this year.”
Making a difference
Wilson said there are a number of things he would like to see the council address this year including health care reform.
“There are 45 million American without health insurance,” he explained. “The AAMC is a player in looking at the health care system and how it should be paid for and delivered.”
With the establishment of more and more osteopathic schools opening across the county, Wilson would like the council to take a closer look at the relationship between osteopathic doctors and medical doctors.
“We need to better understand the similarities, the differences and get a better understanding of what one another does,” he said. He would also like to see the two groups look at setting joint standards to ensure the quality remains high at both types of schools including looking at the possibility of both types of schools being accredited by the same body.
A national presence
This is not Wilson’s first service in national medical associations. He was elected to the AAMC Executive Council in 2004 and served as chair of the AAMC Section on Community-Based Deans from 2002-2004.
Wilson was elected to the 12-member Council of Deans Administrative Board by his peers 2004. He was appointed and served as chair-elect of the board last year.
“Dr. Wilson has also served with particular distinction as liaison from the Council of Deans Administrative Board to the steering committee of the AAMC’s Group on Student Affairs,” said Joseph Keyes, senior vice president and general counsel of the AAMC. “He played an active role in the development of that group’s assessment of student academic performance and professional attributes called the Medical Student Performance Evaluation. This assessment, previously know as the ‘dean’s letter,’ is a key factor in residency program directors’ selection of applicants for their programs.”
I feel gratified that my colleagues chose me to represent this extremely talented group...it is an honor for me, the medical school, the university and the state. |
From 2001 to 2004 Wilson was an elected member of the American Medical Association’s Council on Medical Education and served as a member of the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, the 17-member committee that is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to accredit all U.S. and Canadian medical schools.
“I really enjoy serving on these committees,” said Wilson. “They are a fun learning experience. I get to hear what is going on in other schools and pick up ideas for North Dakota. It also gives me the opportunity to talk about North Dakota and to spread the word about what a great medical school we have here.”
Wilson grew up in Johnston City, IL. He graduated from Wabash College in Crawfordsville, IN. before going on to medical school at St. Louis University School of Medicine. He spent 22 years at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine in Lexington and was serving as full professor and associate dean for academic affairs when he left to join the UND in 1995.
The AAMC is a nonprofit association representing all 126 accredited U.S. and 17 accredited Canadian medical schools; nearly 400 major teaching hospitals and including 98 affiliated health systems and 68 Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers; and 94 academic and scientific societies. Through these institutions and organizations, the AAMC represents 109,000 faculty members, 67,000 medical students, and 104,000 resident physicians
Other schools represented on the 2007-2008 administrative board of the Council of Deans include
- Northeastern Ohio Universities
- University of West Virginia,
- Emory University School of Medicine
- University of Utah
- Pennsylvania State University
- Stanford University
- University of Maryland
- Washington University of St. Louis
- University of Missouri-Kansas City Vanderbilt
- University of Pennsylvania
-Amanda Scurry
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