professional news
Psychiatrists at Helm of 10 Percent Of U.S. Medical Schools
Psychiatrists continue to gain a strong foothold within the administration of the country's medical schools. With two recent appointments, at least 13 of the 125 accredited medical schools across the U.S. are now run by psychiatrists.
Two distinguished psychiatrists, both active APA members, have assumed new administrative positions at the helm of U.S. medical schools.
Darrell G. Kirch, M.D., assumed the position of senior vice president for health affairs and dean of the College of Medicine at Pennsylvania State University on July 1. Kirch also took over the role of chief executive officer of the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. On August 1, Edward M. Hundert, M.D., became dean at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry.
Hundert becomes the 13th psychiatrist serving in the dean’s or equivalent position at U.S. medical schools, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges.
A University of Colorado graduate, Kirch has been very active in medical research, teaching, and administration since completing his psychiatric residency in 1982, when he joined the National Institute of Mental Health. While at NIMH, Kirch received both the Commendation Medal and the Outstanding Service Medal of the United States Public Health Service.
He previously served as senior vice president for clinical activities and dean of the Medical College of Georgia (MCG). While there, he led the creation of an innovative M.D./Ph.D. program that involved the graduate schools of all the public research universities within the state of Georgia. Also under his leadership, MCG enjoyed a 66 percent increase in sponsored research support.
In addition to serving on APA’s Committee on Graduate Education, Kirch has been active with the AMA’s Section on Medical Schools and the Association of American Medical Colleges’ Council of Deans.
Hundert, a graduate of Yale, Oxford, and Harvard universities, previously served as Rochester’s senior associate dean for medical education. Recruited away from Harvard in 1997, Hundert is credited with engineering Rochester’s sweeping reform of its medical school curriculum, now known as the "double helix" model.
The innovative curriculum was one of the first to integrate basic science and clinical medicine throughout all four years of medical school, with students learning to care for patients as they learn the biological and social sciences fundamental to understanding disease prevention and treatment. Hundert regularly visits medical schools across the U.S., outlining and describing the Rochester "double helix" approach.