College Forward Task Forces

Recognizing that our pillars of education, research and clinical care are strengthened by our commitment to our students, faculty and professional staff, Drexel University College of Medicine has embarked on an initiative to build the next roadmap for the institution’s success — tactically over the three- to six-month period beginning in January 2025 and strategically over the next five years.

Help us to design our future. Send your questions, comments and ideas!

Four College Forward Task Forces will solicit input from various stakeholders such as physicians, researchers, administrators, interdisciplinary collaborators, students and community members to ensure alignment with overall priorities.

Each Task Force comprises at least one clinical and one basic science chair, faculty members who are directly engaged with the mission area through their roles, and an administrative professional staff member.

Reporting out to a Leadership Advisory Oversight Group that will ensure synergy across missions, the Task Forces are provided the information and data necessary to establish tactics and strategy in their working meetings.

College Forward Task Forces – Missions and Members

Medical School and Graduate School Education Task Force

Co-leads

Carolyn Giordano, PhD
Associate Dean for Assessment and Evaluation; Associate Professor, Family, Community and Preventive Medicine

Todd Strochlic, PhD, VMD
Assistant Dean of Curricular Integration; Professor, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

Members

Elias El Haddad, PhD
Director, MD/PhD Program; Professor of Medicine and Microbiology & Immunology

Dana Farabaugh, MD
Senior Associate Dean, Undergraduate Medical Education; Professor, Obstetrics & Gynecology

Haviva Goldman, PhD
Professor and Vice Chair of Medical Education, Neurobiology & Anatomy

Richard J. Hamilton, MD, FAAEM, FACMT, FACEP
Professor and Academic Chair, Emergency Medicine

Cheryl A. Hanau, MD
Professor and Richard Shuman, MD, Chair Pathology & Laboratory Medicine

Erum N. Ilyas, MD, MBE, FAAD
Interim Academic Chair; Associate Professor; Dermatology Pathway Director, Dermatology

Monika Jost, PhD
Director, Pre-medical and Pre-health Programs; Associate Professor, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine

Niki Kelley
Associate Dean of Graduate Administration, Operations and Finance, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and Professional Studies

Nicholas C. Kuzma, MD
Associate Professor, Pediatrics

Joanne Mathiasen, PhD
Co-director, Drug Discovery & Development Program; Professor, Pharmacology & Physiology

Elise Mosser, PhD
Assistant Professor, Microbiology & Immunology

Michael Nonnemacher, PhD
Director, Division of Biomedical Sciences; Professor, Microbiology & Immunology

Jed Shumsky, PhD
Senior Associate Dean of Educational and Academic Affairs, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and Professional Studies; Professor, Neurobiology & Anatomy

Cecilia M. Smith, DO
Associate Dean, Tower Health Regional Campus; Professor and Interim Academic Chair, Medicine

Jocelyn Warren, MS
Senior Director, Administrative Services and Operations, Office of Educational Affairs

Brian Wigdahl, PhD
Professor and Chair, Microbiology & Immunology

Adrienne Willard, MD
Associate Professor, Medicine

Ex-Officio Members

Seema Baranwal, MD, FACP
The William Maul Measey Chair in Medical Education, Vice Dean of Institutional Effectiveness; Associate Professor of Medicine

Annette Gadegbeku, MD
Senior Associate Dean of Community Health and Inclusive Excellence; Office of Community Health and Inclusive Excellence; Chief, Division of Community Health; Medical Director, Healing Hurt People in Center for Nonviolence and Social Justice; Associate Professor, Department of Family, Community and Preventive Medicine

Michele Kutzler, PhD
Associate Dean for Faculty; Professor, Medicine and Microbiology & Immunology

David Logan, MBA
Associate Dean for Financial Affairs

Leon McCrea II, MD, MPH, FAAFP
Deborah J. Tuttle, MD and John P. Piper, MD Vice Dean for Educational Affairs; Associate Professor, Family, Community and Preventive Medicine

Vanessa Pirrone, PhD
Assistant Dean of Admissions; Associate Professor, Microbiology & Immunology

Nancy Spector, MD
Senior Vice Dean for Faculty; Professor of Pediatrics; Executive Director, ELAM and ELH; Executive Director, Lynn Yeakel Institute for Women's Health and Leadership

Faculty Affairs and Development Task Force

Co-leads

Kheyandra D. Lewis, MD
Assistant Professor, Pediatrics

James B. Reilly, MD, MS
Professor, Department of Medicine

Members

Jacqui Barker, PhD
Associate Professor, Pharmacology & Physiology

Jessica Barson, PhD
Assistant Dean, Faculty Mentoring, Associate Professor, Neurobiology & Anatomy

Nitin Bhanot, MD, MPH, MMM
Appointments & Promotions Committee Chair; Professor, Medicine

Caitlin Curcio, MS
Director of Faculty Affairs and Faculty Development

Kim Dougherty, PhD
Tenure Committee, Faculty Senate SCFA; Professor, Neurobiology & Anatomy

Rodrigo A. España, PhD
Professor, Neurobiology & Anatomy

Janet Fitzpatrick, MD
Senate Alternate, NTT Clinical Faculty; Clinical Associate Professor, Medicine

Linwood R. Haith Jr., MD
Clinical Academic Chair; Professor, Surgery

Katherine Innamorati, PhD
NTT Basic Science Faculty, Microbiology & Immunology

Margaret Larkins-Pettigrew, MD, MEd, MPPM
Clinical Academic Chair; Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology

David A. Matson, DO
Interim Academic Chair; Associate Professor of Clinical Anesthesiology

Srinivas Somarowthu, PhD
Steering Chair, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

Bob Sterling, PhD
Director, Clinical Research Graduate Programs, CCR, CROM, CRHP and CQCR

Mark Trombetta, MD, FACR, FACRO
Clinical Academic Chair, Department of Radiologic Sciences

Ex-Officio Members

Seema Baranwal, MD, FACP
The William Maul Measey Chair in Medical Education, Vice Dean of Institutional Effectiveness; Associate Professor of Medicine

Michele Kutzler, PhD
Associate Dean for Faculty; Professor, Medicine and Microbiology & Immunology

David Logan, MBA
Associate Dean for Financial Affairs

Leon McCrea II, MD, MPH, FAAFP
Deborah J. Tuttle, MD and John P. Piper, MD Vice Dean for Educational Affairs; Associate Professor, Family, Community and Preventive Medicine

Nancy Spector, MD
Senior Vice Dean for Faculty; Professor of Pediatrics; Executive Director, ELAM and ELH; Executive Director, Lynn Yeakel Institute for Women's Health and Leadership

Research and Innovation Task Force

Co-leads

Asif M. Ilyas, MD ’01, MBA, FACS
Associate Dean of Clinical Research; Academic Vice Chair, Orthopedic Surgery; Adjunct Professor, Orthopedic Surgery and Pediatrics

Sandhya Kortagere, PhD
Professor, Microbiology & Immunology

Members

Rick Adams
Research Grants and Business Administrator, Infectious Disease and HIV Medicine

Wei Du, MD
Professor and Chair, Department of Psychiatry, Drexel University College of Medicine; Senior Vice President, Academic Affairs; Chief Academic Officer; Designated Institutional Official; Service Line Medical Director, Behavioral Health, Tower Health

Alessandro Fatatis, MD, PhD
Professor, Pharmacology & Physiology

Simon Giszter, PhD
Professor, Neurobiology & Anatomy

Meera Harhay, MD, MPH
Professor of Medicine, Division of Nephrology & Hypertension

Pat Loll, PhD
Professor, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

Ramesh Raghupathi, PhD
Professor, Neurobiology & Anatomy

Mauricio Reginato, PhD
Professor and Chair, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

Veronica Tom, PhD
Professor, Neurobiology & Anatomy

Renee Turchi, MD, MPH
Professor and Academic Chair, Pediatrics

Akhil Vaidya, PhD
Professor, Microbiology & Immunology

Erol Veznedaroglu, MD
Robert A. Groff Chair of Neurosurgery; Interim Chair, Neurology

Ex-Officio Members

Seema Baranwal, MD, FACP
The William Maul Measey Chair in Medical Education, Vice Dean of Institutional Effectiveness; Associate Professor of Medicine

Michele Kutzler, PhD
Associate Dean for Faculty; Professor, Medicine and Microbiology & Immunology

David Logan, MBA
Associate Dean for Financial Affairs

Leon McCrea II, MD, MPH, FAAFP
Deborah J. Tuttle, MD and John P. Piper, MD Vice Dean for Educational Affairs; Associate Professor, Family, Community and Preventive Medicine

Kenny J. Simansky, PhD
Senior Vice Dean for Research; Professor, Pharmacology & Physiology

Nancy Spector, MD
Senior Vice Dean for Faculty; Professor of Pediatrics; Executive Director, ELAM and ELH; Executive Director, Lynn Yeakel Institute for Women's Health and Leadership

Drexel Medicine and Clinical Task Force

Co-leads

Nathalie S. May, MD
Professor of Medicine; Chief Quality Officer

Robert T. Sataloff, MD, DMA
Professor and Chair, Department of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery

Members

Gary Davis, MD
Medical Director, Drexel Student Health Center; Assistant Professor, Family, Community and Preventive Medicine

Susanna Evans, MD
Hamot Endowed Chair and Associate Professor, Family, Community and Preventive Medicine

Mary Gallagher Gordon, PHD, MSN, RN, CNE
Vice Dean and Clinical Professor, Graduate Nursing, Drexel University College of Nursing and Health Professions

Greg Johnson
Assistant Vice President, Clinical Systems, Drexel University Information Technology

David Logan, MBA
Associate Dean for Financial Affairs

Jen Mainville, MPH
Business Administrator, Drexel Medicine

Olimpia Meucci, MD, PhD
Professor and Chair, Pharmacology & Physiology

Jim Sapienza, FACHE
Chief Administrative Officer, Drexel Medicine

Barbara Schindler, MD
Medical Director, Caring Together; Vice Dean Emerita of Educational and Academic Affairs; Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics

Seema Sidhu, MD
Dean, Regional Medical Campus, Kaiser Permanente; Assistant Professor, Obstetrics & Gynecology

Ex-Officio Members

Seema Baranwal, MD, FACP
The William Maul Measey Chair in Medical Education, Vice Dean of Institutional Effectiveness; Associate Professor of Medicine

Michele Kutzler, PhD
Associate Dean for Faculty; Professor, Medicine and Microbiology & Immunology

Leon McCrea II, MD, MPH, FAAFP
Deborah J. Tuttle, MD and John P. Piper, MD Vice Dean for Educational Affairs; Associate Professor, Family, Community and Preventive Medicine

Nancy Spector, MD
Senior Vice Dean for Faculty; Professor of Pediatrics; Executive Director, ELAM and ELH; Executive Director, Lynn Yeakel Institute for Women's Health and Leadership