Allison Brashear, MD, MBA, dean of the University of California, Davis School of Medicine, has been appointed vice president for health sciences and dean of the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Bufflao.
Brashear, an international expert in movement disorders with an impressive resume, grew up in Indiana, and said she chose the University of Buffalo job because the school takes a comprehensive approach to health care education. Her children and closest research colleagues also live on the East Coast, and she fell in love with the region during the application process while visiting Canalside, city neighborhoods and university campuses.
The appointment takes effect December 6. Brashear succeeds Michael E. Cain, who announced in April that he was stepping down from the two posts. He will remain a professor in the Department of Medicine and the Department of Biomedical Engineering.
“I am delighted that a physician, researcher and academic leader of Dr. Brashear’s international renown is joining our university community in these critical leadership roles. As the responsibilities of these positions have profound implications for both our university’s mission of excellence and the health and vitality of our region, it was imperative that we found a visionary leader whose work reflects a demonstrated and enduring commitment to serving the greater good. Dr. Brashear is just that leader. Given her distinguished and impactful career – including being a longtime champion of inclusion and social justice – I have every confidence that she will help us enhance UB’s stature as a world-class leader in medical and healthcare education, training, research and clinical care.”
Satish K. Tripathi, University of Buffalo President
As vice president for health sciences, Brashear will lead the strategic integration of interprofessional education and practice, health sciences collaborative research, and clinical programs among all of UB’s health sciences schools, departments and hospital and clinical affiliates. In addition, she will have administrative responsibility for UB’s five health sciences schools, including the Jacobs School, particularly with regard to hospital affiliation, residency training and faculty practice plans.
As the academic and administrative head of the Jacobs School, Brashear will be responsible for providing overall leadership to the school to promote academic excellence, foster an inclusive environment, and advance its national and international prominence in basic and translational research, medical education, clinical engagement and service.
In addition, Brashear will serve on the university’s senior leadership team, working with the president, provost, deans and other key leaders to advance the university’s mission of excellence in education, research and engagement.
“I am excited to join the University at Buffalo as the new vice president for health sciences and dean of the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at such a pivotal time in medicine. This is a unique opportunity to help advance President Tripathi’s vision for UB to be a top-25 public research university to improve lives.”
Allison Brashear, MD, MBA
Dr. Brashear is an internationally renowned researcher whose work has fundamentally transformed the way spasticity and dystonia are treated. At Wake Forest School of Medicine, she co-led the Wake Forest NeuroNext Clinical Site, one of 25 sites in a clinical trial network funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, designed to expedite therapy development for neurological disorders.
She is also a powerful advocate for promoting diverse leaders in medicine and was instrumental in creating one of the first national leadership programs in neurology for women. She is a frequent lecturer on the importance of diversity in medicine, and a lifelong champion of advancing women’s leadership in medicine.
Read the full announcement on the University of Buffalo website.
