Dear Colleagues:
I am delighted to announce the appointment of Dr. Carlos del Rio to the position of Executive Associate Dean for Faculty and Clinical Affairs in the School of Medicine, effective March 22, 2024 through the end of Fiscal Year 2024 (August 31, 2024). In this capacity, Dr. del Rio will continue to provide executive strategic leadership for SoM activities including the effective use of interventional efforts to support faculty performance in collaboration with SoM Department Chairs. Dr. del Rio will play a pivotal role in the onboarding of our new dean, Dr. Sandra Wong, who will be joining the Emory community later this month as the new dean for the School of Medicine and will work closely with her as part of the dean’s leadership team to promote integration of SoM missions across all health care system affiliation partnerships and agreements.
Dr. del Rio's credentials speak volumes about his dedication to health care excellence and his commitment to advancing medical education and patient care. He was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2013 and to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2022. With his extensive experience as a renowned physician, researcher, and educator, Dr. del Rio has demonstrated an unwavering passion for educating and training future generations of physicians while tirelessly advocating for marginalized populations.
His exceptional leadership as interim dean over the past year has had a tremendous impact on our faculty, staff, and students, and I have every confidence that he will excel in his new role.
Beginning September 1, 2024, Dr. del Rio will step away from his role as Executive Associate Dean for Faculty and Clinical Affairs to serve as Chair of the Department of Medicine while Dr. David S. Stephens, who has been serving as Chair of Medicine since 2013, will continue his position full-time as Vice President of Research for the Woodruff Health Sciences Center.
I would like to take this opportunity to extend my heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Stephens for his outstanding service. Dr. Stephens has made invaluable contributions to our academic community and has done a stellar job ensuring the Department of Medicine and medical school maintain their national reputation as a premier destination for clinical care, training, and research. Since joining the Department of Medicine faculty in 1982, Dr. Stephens has been a constant in multiple leadership roles across the Woodruff Health Sciences Center. He was named director of the Division of Infectious Diseases in 1992, a position he held for 21 years. Previously, Dr. Stephens also served as Executive Associate Dean for Research of the School of Medicine from 2005 to 2008, interim dean of the School of Medicine from 2016 to 2017 and interim Executive Vice President for Health Affairs in 2022.
Under Dr. Stephens’ leadership from 2013 to 2024, the Department of Medicine grew to more than 800 faculty and nearly 600 staff, doubled its total research funding, and rose in NIH departmental funding rank to a high of 12th in the nation. US News and World Report ranked the department 15th in 2023, and Infectious Diseases ranks in the top 10 - 15 programs globally. The department initiated new programs in Represent, Support, Elevate (RYSE) - the department’s initiative in diversity, equity, and inclusion as well as the Clinical Distinctions Program, which has now been adopted SoM-wide. Dr. Stephens recruited new division leadership in Infectious Diseases, Hospital Medicine, Geriatrics, Digestive Diseases, and Pulmonary Medicine and worked in partnership with the Department of Surgery to launch the Medicine/Surgery Health Services Research Center. New education initiatives were launched, including the medicine-pediatrics residency, and the internal medicine residency is ranked as a top-20 program nationally. The department leads national efforts in COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics, clinical care, Long COVID and in addressing COVID health disparities. The department is also a national leader in autoimmunity, heart and vascular medicine and is home to the Georgia CTSA. As he continues his role as Vice President for Research in the Woodruff Health Sciences Center, we remain deeply grateful for his exemplary leadership and dedication. In the fall of 2024, we will join to celebrate his tenure as Chair of Medicine.
Please join me in welcoming Dr. Carlos del Rio to his new roles and in expressing our sincere appreciation to Dr. David Stephens for his exemplary service and contributions to Emory University.
Warm regards,
Ravi Thadhani, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President of Health Affairs
Emory University
