Duane Compton, dean of the Geisel School of Medicine, has been reappointed to a four-year term that will run through June 2025, Interim Provost David Kotz ’86 announced today.

Compton, a professor of biochemistry and cell biology, was named Geisel dean in 2017 following service as interim dean. Among his many accomplishments since then, Compton has recruited a number of institutional leaders, elevated the school’s commitment to diversity and inclusivity, and strengthened Geisel’s financial foundation.

An internationally known cell and cancer biologist who was recruited to Dartmouth in 1993, Compton is uniquely positioned to lead Geisel forward, Kotz says.

“Over the course of nearly three decades, Duane Compton has demonstrated his comprehensive understanding of and dedication to Geisel’s mission—to address the world’s health problems through clinical research, the improvement of health care systems, and medical education,” says Kotz. “Time and again Duane has shown his ability to chart the best path forward in service of that mission. He is the right leader to guide Geisel to a promising future.” 

Before becoming dean, Compton served nearly three years as the school’s interim dean, during which he led Geisel through a reorganization that deepened the institution’s focus on medical education and research and guided it onto a more sustainable financial path.

“With Duane’s leadership, his extraordinary team will build on the success of the last seven years, enabling Geisel to even better prepare future physicians, scientists, and teachers to tackle the world’s most pressing health problems,” says Kotz.

Compton says he’s grateful to have the opportunity to continue to lead the school, now more than ever.

“It is an honor to be asked to continue in leadership of the Geisel School of Medicine and to be part of a community of such talented students, faculty, and staff, all of whom are dedicated to our missions of biomedical research and medical education,” says Compton.

He says he looks forward to continuing to work with senior leadership to further the medical school’s mission, and to enhance educational and scholarly opportunities for the school and its clinical partners.

Looking ahead, Compton says Geisel will be launching ”a forward-looking strategic planning effort“ to guide its investments into the future.

Compton holds a PhD from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and completed his postdoctoral training in cell biology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He is an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and an elected member of Geisel’s Academy of Faculty Master Educators. A distinguished researcher, he has published more than 70 articles and has consistently received funding from many private and public foundations, including the National Institutes of Health.