Dean, Mark and Mary Stevens School of Medicine

Sutter Health; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 900,000 - 975,000; Full time

Job summary

Santa Clara University and Sutter Health are partnering to create the Mark & Mary Stevens School of Medicine and seek a Founding Dean to shape vision, culture, curriculum, governance, and accreditation. This is a career-defining leadership role in academic medicine with broad external engagement.

The ideal candidate holds an MD (or MD/PhD), is board certified or eligible, and has substantial leadership experience in complex medical education organizations, LCME expertise, and a proven record

Qualifications

• MD or MD/PhD with credentials for academic rank at full professor level
• Board certified or board eligible in medicine or related field
• Substantial leadership experience in academic medicine or a complex organization

Responsibilities

• Shape vision, culture, curriculum, governance and accreditation for the new medical school
• Recruit leaders and educators and build strategic partnerships
• Oversee accreditation processes and engage external stakeholders including government and community partners

Skills

Strategic leadership

Fundraising

External stakeholder engagement

Budget management

Academic medicine leadership

Education

MD or MD/PhD

Tools

LCME accreditation knowledge

Job description

WittKieffer is proud to partner with Santa Clara University and Sutter Health in their search for the Founding Dean of the Mark & Mary Stevens School of Medicine. The Mark & May Stevens School of Medicine is a bold new medical school being established through one of the most innovative partnerships in American medical education. As the first new MD degree-granting medical school in California's San Francisco Bay Area in more than a century, the School represents a transformational opportunity to reimagine physician education at the intersection of academic excellence, healthcare innovation, and human-centered care.

Founded through a partnership between Santa Clara University, California's oldest institution of higher education, and Sutter Health, one of the nation's largest integrated not-for-profit health systems, the School is being created to address critical physician workforce shortages while preparing future physicians to lead healthcare transformation. The medical school will combine Santa Clara University's Jesuit commitment to educating leaders of competence, conscience, and compassion with Sutter Health's extensive clinical, educational, and research infrastructure to create a distinctly contemporary model of medical education.

The Founding Dean will have a rare opportunity to shape this new medical school, from vision and culture to curriculum, faculty, governance, and institutional strategy. Working alongside leaders from both Santa Clara University and Sutter Health, the Dean will guide the School through accreditation, recruit leaders and educators, build strategic partnerships, and establish a nationally recognized institution designed for the future of medicine. The successful candidate will inherit strong momentum, including a historic $175 million naming gift from Mark and Mary Stevens, the largest cash gift in the history of Santa Clara University or Sutter Health and the largest ever received by Catholic higher education.

As healthcare undergoes unprecedented change, advances in artificial intelligence, digital health, precision medicine, data analytics, and team-based care are redefining how physicians deliver care and engage with patients. At the same time, persistent physician shortages, widening health disparities, technological advances and increasing complexity across the healthcare landscape demand new approaches to medical education. The Mark & Mary Stevens School of Medicine seeks to prepare physicians who are grounded in humanity, shaped by innovation, and deeply committed to serving individuals, families, and communities.

This is a career-defining opportunity for an entrepreneurial and collaborative leader who is energized by institution building, inspired by innovation, and committed to advancing healthcare through education, research, and service. The Founding Dean will help establish a medical school designed not only to educate excellent physicians, but also to influence how medicine is practiced and healthcare is delivered for generations to come.

The ideal candidate will hold an M.D. or M.D./Ph.D. with credentials appropriate for academic rank at the level of full professor and will be board certified or board eligible. They will bring substantial leadership experience in academic medicine or a related environment, along with substantial leadership experience in complex organizations that integrate education, research, and clinical care. The Founding Dean should bring extensive leadership and experience with LCME accreditation and deep knowledge of compliance requirements for medical education programs as well as knowledge of contemporary medical education trends. Demonstrated success managing large budgets, recruiting and retaining faculty and specialty physicians, and engaging external stakeholders, including government leaders and community partners, is essential.

WittKieffer is assisting the Mark & Mary Stevens School of Medicine with this important recruitment.

Santa Clara University is an equal opportunity employer. This position offers a base salary in the range of $900,000-$975,000. Compensation will be commensurate with experience and skills relevant to the role.