UT Tyler Announces dean for the school of medicine

TYLER — UT Tyler President Dr. Kirk Calhoun has announced that Brigham C. Willis, M.D., has been appointed the founding dean of the the university’s new school of medicine. Willis, a longtime educator, scholar, and leader in academic medicine, has been widely lauded for his commitment and service to medical education, according to a news release. Willis currently serves as senior associate dean of medical education at the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine. He was previously associate fellowship director for pediatric critical care medicine at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, and chief medical education officer and Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-designated institutional official at Phoenix Children’s Hospital.

“We were fortunate to have had a large and diverse selection of candidates to consider for the dean’s position,” said Calhoun in the news release, which also quotes Willis as saying he accepts the position “with great pleasure.” The medical school is due to accept its first class in June 2023. All 40 students in that class will get a four-year, full ride scholarship, thanks to a recent grant from the R.W. Fair Foundation.