Chief Academic Officer

Ross University School of Medicine – Adtalem Global Education

Chief Academic Officer

Ross University School of Medicine is seeking an innovative and experienced leader in medical education for the newly created position of Chief Academic Officer (CAO). This senior administrative position is an extraordinary opportunity for the successful candidate to grow professionally by making a highly visible and meaningful impact on allopathic medical education.

Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM) was founded in 1978 on Dominica, West Indies. RUSM is one of the oldest and most accomplished international medical schools that is licensed and accredited in the Caribbean. RUSM serves a student body of >92% Americans from top U.S. colleges and universities across the US, and most RUSM graduates are licensed and practice within the US and Canada.

RUSM, which is an influential component of Adtalem Global Education, is committed to providing medical educational opportunities to a diverse group of qualified students. RUSM recently celebrated its 40th anniversary. RUSM has more than 14,000 alumni practicing medicine, without restriction, across all 50 states in the U.S.  RUSM is proud to be distinguishable, not only for its size and students’ professional outcomes, but also by uniquely fulfilling a medical schools’ societal mission: educating large numbers of physicians who go into primary care (>70%), work in medically underserved areas, and are demographically representative of the U.S. For example, RUSM enjoys one of the highest percentages of under-represented minority medical students, especially males in the U.S.

The CAO will provide intellectual and tactical leadership and support for all academic departments and linked multi-disciplinary programs at RUSM and will act as the face of the RUSM academic community to internal and external constituencies.  The CAO is responsible for leading RUSM’s faculty, staff, and administrative teams on academic and instructional matters relevant to our students’ academic success.

This position will report directly to Dr. William F. Owen, Jr., MD, FACP, RUSM’s Dean and Chancellor.  Dr. Owen is a globally well-known and experienced academic health system leader, who is focused on the continued transformation of RUSM to be a force for pedagogical innovation, social justice in health and healthcare, and to create a medically competent and socially engaged physician workforce. In addition to a major participatory role realizing this mission, the successful candidate will also enjoy individualized training and mentoring resulting in him/her possibly being considered to serve as RUSM’s future Dean and Chancellor.

The position is based in Miramar, FL (USA), where RUSM’s administrative offices are located, and serves medical students sequentially studying basic sciences on the island of Barbados, West Indies, Internal Medicine Foundations in Miramar, FL, and their core and elective clinical rotations in a strong network of teaching hospitals such as Cleveland Clinic, FL (Miami, FL), California Hospital (Los Angeles, CA) and Jamaica Hospital (New York, NY).

The successful CAO candidate will be a Medical Doctor or, equivalent lettered and terminally degreed professional with an active medical license in the US, UK, Ireland, or Canada.  He or She should possess a strong academic record and reputation, a positive track record as a senior medical school administrator, and academic credentials supporting eligibility for faculty appointment at the rank of Professor within a RUSM department.  It is preferred that the candidate have at least 10 years of direct participation in medical education; knowledge of contemporary pedagogical issues involving medical education; experience in curriculum assessment and evaluation with a focus on improving measurable student outcomes; meaningful know-how with managing academic faculty; familiarity with budget development, implementation, and oversight; and understanding of medical school accreditation.

Dr. Owen and the Search Committee are partnering in this search with Russell Reynolds Associates. Prospects nominated and/or those who wish to be considered, on a confidential basis, by the Search Committee should provide an electronic version of their curriculum vitae as well as a brief bullet point summary of administrative roles they have held and their accomplishments in each to Russell Reynolds Associates at Ross.CAO@russellreynolds.com