OU announced the appointment of Ian Dunn as executive dean of the OU College of Medicine on Friday, pending OU Board of Regents’ approval.
As executive dean, Dunn will also provide leadership to OU Health, the university’s healthcare partner, as its inaugural chief academic officer. Dunn will begin serving in his new position on Jan. 15, according to a press release.
Previously, Gary Raskob, current senior vice president and provost of OU Health Sciences Center, was serving as interim dean of the college.
Dunn joined the OU College of Medicine in 2018, serving as professor and chair of the department of neurosurgery, holding the Harry Wilkins, M.D. Chair in Neurosurgery.
OU announced it appointed Ian Dunn as executive dean of the OU College of Medicine on Nov. 17, pending OU Board of Regents’ approval.
He also serves on the OU Health executive leadership team, serving as chief physician executive since October of 2021, as well as president of OU Health Partners and vice chair of the OU Health Partners Board of Directors.
Dunn has played a pivotal role in OU’s progress to “unite research-driven care and education,” said OU President Joseph Harroz Jr., according to the press release.
“We continue making considerable strides toward elevating the OU Health Sciences as a top-tier, research-intense academic health center, and our College of Medicine is key to this endeavor,” Harroz said. “Dr. Dunn’s proven ability to foster strategic collaborations to achieve enterprise-wide goals make him the ideal choice to lead our College of Medicine. His talent and energy will lift the health care for all Oklahomans.”
According to the press release, Dunn led several initiatives in forming the new health system, including co-leading the integration of physicians into OU Health, leading a modernized physician compensation plan and overseeing a new ambulatory operational infrastructure.
Richard P. Lofgren, president and CEO of OU Health, wrote that Dunn’s work has been transformational for OU Health while their mission of research and education remain the most important part of their work.
“Dr. Dunn’s new role will accelerate our progress as an integrated academic health center and further aligns the OU College of Medicine and OU Health as integral partners,” Lofgren said, according to the release.
According to the press release, Dunn, as chair of the department of neurosurgery, has aided in the substantial growth of the department over the past five years, including the increasing of its faculty and advanced practice provider team and the use of innovative approaches, such as telehealth to expand clinical services and neurosurgical care to reach more Oklahomans.
Due to the department’s progress and national reputation, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and Congress of Neurological Surgeons chose OU to host the Joint Section of Pediatric Neurosurgery national meeting this year.
Additionally, Dunn has expanded the residency program and emphasized the importance of medical student mentorship, supporting a robust medical student research program led by several faculty members. According to the press release, the group has helped nurture the graduate program in neuroscience, recruiting graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in this key educational program.
Raskob said Dunn’s selections will elevate the college’s “already strong” reputation and make the partnership with OU Health stronger.
“Over the past five years, Dr. Dunn has provided exceptional leadership across our academic health system, consistently prioritizing the advancement of research and the preparation of future health care professionals as we strive to improve health outcomes in Oklahoma,” Raskob said, according to the release.
Before joining OU, Dunn served eight years as an associate professor in the department of neurosurgery at Harvard Medical School and as director for the Center for Pituitary and Skull Base Surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, according to the press release.
Dunn is a member of numerous national professional societies and presents nationally and internationally on his central focus on complex brain tumors at the skull base, including those in the pituitary region. According to the press release, he has authored more than 250 peer-reviewed journal publications and 40 chapters of various scientific and medical publications in neurosurgery and has lectured widely nationally and internationally.
This story was edited by Alexia Aston and Taylor Jones. Grace Rhodes copy edited this story.
