Medical Education Leader Dr. Latha Chandran Named Executive Dean of Miller School

Latha Chandran, M.D., M.P.H., vice dean for academic and faculty affairs at Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, has been named executive dean of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and founding chair of the Department of Medical Education.

“Dr. Chandran is an extraordinary pediatrician, educator, and academic leader,” Henri R. Ford, M.D., M.H.A., dean and chief academic officer of the Miller School, said in announcing her appointment. “She has a passion for educational scholarship that has led her to many leadership positions, both at Stony Brook and nationally.”

Dr. Latha Chandran

She served as vice dean for undergraduate medical education, associate dean for faculty affairs, and associate dean for academic advising at Stony Brook, part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. She was appointed a SUNY distinguished teaching professor, and as founding director of the Donoho Academy of Clinical and Educational Scholars, she was named the inaugural Miriam and David Donoho Distinguished Teaching Professor.

Nationally, Dr. Chandran is the new president of the Academic Pediatric Association (APA), and she serves as treasurer of the National Board of Medical Examiners. She was the co-founder of a national faculty development program at the APA called the Educational Scholars Program, which has graduated more than 120 junior pediatric faculty who are now all across the U.S. The program received the APA National Teaching Program Award for Excellence.

She brings to the NextGenMD reinvention of the Miller School curriculum the experience gained from leading the creation and implementation of the LEARN curriculum at Stony Brook in 2014. She helped create a three-year curriculum and path to residency, created the Women in Medicine Program, and launched a professional development program for junior faculty. She was central to two successful reaccreditations by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, in 2011 and 2019.

“A long list of distinguished teaching awards and citations pays tribute to Dr. Chandran’s remarkable accomplishments,” said Julio Frenk, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D., interim CEO of UHealth and president of the University of Miami.

Dr. Chandran received her medical degree at Kerala University in India, initially training in obstetrics and gynecology. When she came to the U.S., she began her residency at New York Medical College, Valhalla, ultimately transferring to Stony Brook to complete her residency and serve as chief resident in pediatrics. After joining the faculty at Stony Brook in 1992, she was appointed director of the Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, advancing to associate professor with tenure and then full professor in the educator scholar track.

Her academic pathway also included a primary care faculty development fellowship at Michigan State University, an M.P.H. from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, and an advanced graduate certificate in health care management. She participated in Leadership Development for Physicians in Academic Health Centers at the Harvard School of Public Health, the Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) program, and the Harvard Macy Institute Program for Physician Educators.

Her leadership of the Miller School’s new Department of Medical Education will advance the new curriculum, which is rolling out this summer. “We created this department to serve three main functions,” Dean Ford said. “First, it will equip teachers with the skills necessary to become more effective in their educator role. Second, the department will help create and support a culture of educational research, scholarship, and innovation, including developing faculty to initiate, promote, and sustain educational research. And third, the new department will provide an academic home for faculty whose primary focus is education and allow for the development of new and creative approaches to educating learners.

“Dr. Chandran will lead the department as a pillar for educational innovation, to support our NextGenMD educators, and establish a core group of master educators.”

She is dedicated to helping the Miller School transform its curriculum to help future physicians deal with crises like the current COVID-19 pandemic, and all the other challenges that await them. She knows that all teachers and learners, and the curriculum itself, must be flexible and nimble to best serve the ever-evolving world. And she especially looks forward to advancing the fundamental missions of academic medicine in Miami’s diverse, complex community.

“Dr Chandran knows that one way we can address inequities like the current disparities in outcomes among COVID-19 patients is to have people of diverse backgrounds train and work with diverse patients,” said President Frenk. “She will be a formative leader for our medical center, our University, and our community.”

Tags: Dean Henri Ford, Department of Medical Education, Dr. Latha Chandran, President Julio Frenk