Welcome

A message from the Senior Associate Dean, Academic Affairs

Greetings,

My staff and I in the Brody School of Medicine, Division of Academic Affairs are responsible for all aspects of undergraduate medical education from selection of medical students to supporting teaching and teachers. The Division of Academic Affairs includes many student service and educational focused departments: Admissions, Academic Support and Enrichment Center, Counseling Center, Medical Education, Student Affairs, Financial Aid, Generalist Programs, Faculty and Academic Development. Each department has a separate but interdependent function under the Division of Academic Affairs. The units all work together to provide comprehensive quality service to our learners, faculty, and to the medical school.

Our challenge is to ensure that our school continues to distinguish itself in a rapidly changing health care environment. The Brody School of Medicine is ranked sixth in primary care, by the U.S. News & World Report. Likewise, our administration and faculty constantly analyze how we can incorporate relevant emerging topics and technologies into the curriculum while continuing to teach the core concepts that prepare our students to be physicians equipped to serve the patients of the 21st century. BSOM will for the first time in 25 years increase its class size to 80 students in response to a predicted shortage of physicians and a national call by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) to expand student enrollment. We will continue to seek students who are likely to fulfill the mission of the BSOM, providing more physicians to supply health care to the state of North Carolina, increasing the number of primary care doctors and providing access to medical education for minority and disadvantaged students.

It is a source of great satisfaction for me and the faculty that our graduates leave BSOM empowered to explore new worlds and push their own personal boundaries. At BSOM every student is valued, every student is supported, and every student grows in capacity to lead and to serve.

All questions, issues, or concerns should be addressed to the appropriate unit; however, the Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs is available to discuss those issues as well. It is the goal of the Office of Academic Affairs to make the student's educational process, from admission to graduation, as pleasant and unencumbered as possible.

Virginia D. Hardy, PhD
Senior Associate Dean, Academic Affairs