School Organization

The medical school’s administrative structure has four co-equal executive associate deans with responsibility for education, faculty and clinical affairs, management and planning, and research who report to the dean of the school and University vice president for medical affairs. The diagram below shows the school’s organizational structure.

 
On most academic matters department chairs and staff members can provide advice, assistance, and direction to the faculty. Faculty members who require information or assistance from the medical school’s central administration should be guided by the following descriptions of senior staff functions:

Education

The executive associate dean for education provides management, coordination, and leadership in all areas related to the school’s undergraduate and graduate medical education, continuing medical education, and student programs.

The associate dean for admissions directs the process that evaluates and recruits candidates who matriculate in the school’s medical education program.

The associate dean for educational programs directs the Office of Medical Education and coordinates resources and functions that directly support the undergraduate curriculum and continuing medical education.

The associate dean for graduate medical education is responsible for coordinating the components that constitute the educational process for graduate and postgraduate medical trainees.

The associate dean for the Honors Program in Medical Education manages the University and Medical School combined baccalaureate and doctor of medicine degree program.

The associate dean for medical informatics directs the Weinberg Medical Informatics Training Center and develops or facilitates the application of computer-assisted learning resources.

The associate dean for minority affairs facilitates the recruitment and retention of underrepresented minority students and supports activities to enhance the quality of the environment and academic life for students of diverse racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds.

The associate dean for student programs directs the Office of Student Affairs and provides guidance and advocacy for students and their programs.

Faculty and Clinical Affairs

The executive associate dean for faculty and clinical affairs is responsible for managing faculty affairs and for liaison between the medical school and the hospitals and physician practices in the McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University. Responsibilities include the coordination and facilitation of clinical programs as they relate to the school’s academic missions and oversight for programs in graduate medical education.

The associate deans for clinical academic affairs are responsible for matters pertaining to academic affairs in the hospitals that constitute the McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University. Their primary missions are to enhance academic relations between the school and its affiliated hospitals and to coordinate and facilitate the performance of academic programs in these affiliated hospitals.

Management and Planning

The senior executive associate dean and chief operating officer is responsible for budget and finance, administrative services, information systems, building and renovation of facilities, and major medical school planning.

Research

The executive associate dean for research is responsible for the enhancement of the school’s research environment, management of research resources, and support and coordination of research program activities.