We welcomed new clinical partners this spring. Bayhealth Medical Center in Delaware, a longtime affiliate of the College of Medicine, is now a regional medical campus, meaning our students can choose to complete the entirety of their third- and fourth-year rotations there. In addition, AtlantiCare in Atlantic City, New Jersey, has joined us as a new academic campus where students can complete elective clerkships. I am grateful to all of our clinical training sites for the robust education they provide our MD students.

I’m pleased to announce that Annette Gadegbeku, MD, has been appointed senior associate dean of the Office of Community Health & Inclusive Excellence. Dr. Gadegbeku has had great success in her role as associate dean of community health and health equity. In this expanded role, she will continue her work in community health and health equity, and also foster inclusion and belonging at the College of Medicine through policies, recruitment efforts and promotion of research focused on community health, wellness and barriers to care. Dr. Gadegbeku has also been named the assistant director of diversity, equity and inclusion at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Consortium.

This spring, Itzhak Fischer, PhD, announced that he will step down as chair of the Department of Neurobiology & Anatomy on July 1, after a distinguished 33-year career at the College of Medicine, including 25 years as chair. During his tenure, the department has grown and thrived; research expenditures have grown by 34% in just the last four years. I would like to thank Dr. Fischer, who will stay on as a tenured professor in the department, for his years of dedication and leadership. I’m happy to share that Rodrigo España, PhD, has been appointed interim chair of the department. Dr. España’s wealth of experience, years as an educator, service on professional committees, mentorship of students and colleagues, and national and international renown as a researcher will serve the department and College well.

Finally, I’m honored to announce that Cecilia Smith, DO, interim academic chair of medicine, has assumed the role of associate dean of the College of Medicine at Tower Health. Her longstanding leadership at Reading Hospital, coupled with her leadership at Drexel, make her ideally suited to helm the West Reading Campus. Karen Restifo, MD, JD, who ably served as regional vice dean of the campus since its founding in 2021, accepted a role at the Burnett School of Medicine at Texas Christian University. I am grateful to Dr. Restifo for her years of leadership, and to Dr. Smith for ensuring a smooth transition for the campus’s faculty, professional staff and students. In this time of transitions, I am thankful for the many contributions of our faculty, professional staff and students, and proud to serve as your dean.