The search for the next dean of Geisel School of Medicine is underway, Provost David Kotz ’86 announced in a message to the community today.
Kotz announced the appointment of a search advisory committee to help find a successor to Duane Compton, a professor of biochemistry who plans to return full-time to teaching and research after completing his second term as Geisel dean in June 2025.
Kotz thanked Compton for his leadership, which attracted major grants for clinical and translational science, Alzheimer’s research, and more; launched a new hybrid Master of Health Administration program with the Tuck School of Business; expanded the Innovation Accelerator Program into digital health and delivery; and stabilized Geisel’s budget, among other accomplishments.
“We feel confident that Duane is leaving Geisel in a great position—poised to continue the school’s forward momentum in ground-breaking research across numerous fields as well as in its doctoral and master’s programs,” Kotz said.
To launch the search for Geisel’s next leader, Kotz said that he and President Sian Leah Beilock have consulted with members of the Dean’s Academic Board, Faculty Council, department chairs, and other members of the Geisel faculty, as well as with the Geisel Board of Advisors, representatives of the Dartmouth Cancer Center, and partners at Dartmouth Health.
“Collectively, we seek an experienced academic leader in academic medicine, clinical care, and research who brings people together and collaborates within an interdisciplinary ecosystem and across multiple schools,” Kotz said. “The leader will work closely with our clinical partners at Dartmouth Health and articulate a vision for how Dartmouth’s distinctive strengths can mobilize to create a unique type of innovation and impact for the medical school.”
All members of the community are invited to submit “nominations for exceptional candidates who can ensure Dartmouth’s continued leadership in medical education, scientific research, and the delivery of outstanding health care for our region,” Kotz said. Nominations may be emailed to geiseldean@spencerstuart.com.
The search advisory committee is being co-chaired by two members of the Geisel faculty: Charles Barlowe, the James C. Chilcott ’20 Professor in Pharmaceutical Sciences and chair of biochemistry and cell biology, and Barbara Jobst, the Louis and Ruth Frank Professor of Neurosciences and chair of neurology.
In addition to Barlowe and Jobst, committee members include:
- Sonia Chimienti, dean of educational affairs, Geisel
- Paula Medina Diaz, MED ’24
- Michelle Dong, MED ’25
- Nathan Goldstein, the Joseph M. Huber Professor and chair of medicine, Geisel
- Ryan Halter, associate professor, Thayer School of Engineering
- Robert Higgins ’81
- Michael Hoppa, associate professor of biological sciences, Arts and Sciences
- Steve Leach, director, Dartmouth Cancer Center
- Dean Madden, vice provost for research
- Joyce Sackey ’85, MED ’89, Dartmouth trustee
- Sam Shields, vice president of strategy and regional operations, Dartmouth Health
- Brian Shiner, associate professor of psychiatry, Geisel
- Matthew Slaughter, dean, Tuck School of Business
- Mara Weissmann, advisory board, Geisel
Global executive search firm Spencer Stuart, which specializes in leadership searches in education and health care, has been enlisted to help Dartmouth identify and vet candidates, Kotz said. The firm has helped place nearly 20 deans for leading medical schools in the past five years.
