The University has appointed Mukesh Jain, a physician-scientist who specializes in cardiovascular medicine, as dean of medicine and biological sciences, President Christina Paxson P’19 and Provost Richard Locke P’18 announced Wednesday in a community-wide email.
As dean, Jain will lead the University’s Division of Biology and Medicine, which oversees the Warren Alpert Medical School as well as various biological science, clinical and hybrid departments. Jain will also oversee the medical school’s relationship with several affiliated hospitals, according to the email.
“I hope to leverage my experiences in building robust basic and translational research programs that are aligned and integrated with excellence in clinical care to help the Warren Alpert Medical School and its clinical affiliates achieve even greater impact in advancing standard of care to improve human health,” Jain said in a Wednesday press release. “And across all biomedical programs, I will work to ensure that Brown is recruiting and retaining the best and brightest from all backgrounds and is at the tip of the national spear in cultivating the next generation of physicians and scientists.”
Jain comes to the University from University Hospitals in Cleveland, Ohio, where he currently serves as chief academic officer. Jain is also the vice dean for medical sciences at Case Western Reserve University, as well as the founding director at CWRU’s Cardiovascular Research Institute. While holding these positions, Jain has developed programming to augment biomedical research and has overseen one of the largest graduate medical education programs in the nation, according to the announcement.
Jain also received the Distinguished University Professor Award from CWRU, the highest honor a professor at the school can receive. His work has resulted in his election to the National Academy of Medicine, the American Society for Clinical Investigation, the Association of American Physicians and the Association of University Cardiologists.
Jain noted that some of his main objectives as dean will be increasing historically underrepresented groups in the University’s medicine and science programming, ensuring socially-conscious and culturally competent care is taught to medical school students and training physicians-scientists, defined as “doctors who treat patients clinically and engage also in biomedical research,” according to the press release.
The selection process was conducted by a committee of faculty members, graduate and medical students, with “members of the Brown community (also having) opportunities to engage in the search process,” according to an April 23 community-wide message from Paxson.
During the search process, “we sought a leader with a clear and compelling vision for scientific discovery, excellence in biomedical education and world-class clinical care,” Paxson said in Wednesday’s press release. “Mukesh Jain brings those attributes and more.”
Members of the University’s search committee were “impressed by the manner in which (Jain) combines outstanding clinical expertise with a deep appreciation of the role of basic science in advancing biomedical research,” Locke added in the press release.
Jain will assume his new role effective March 1, 2022. He succeeds Jack Elias, who has served in the position for eight years. As announced in April, Elias will transition into the role of senior advisor for health affairs, where he will work with the University to “advance the development of Brown’s relationships with Lifespan and Care New England as efforts toward an integrated academic health system continue,” Paxson and Locke wrote.
Jack Walker served as senior editor of multimedia, social media and post- magazine for The Herald’s 132nd Editorial Board. Jack is an archaeology and literary arts concentrator from Thurmont, Maryland who previously covered the Grad School and staff and student labor beats.
