From the Dean: The competition for human capital

As I’ve mentioned previously, the UND SMHS has a number of searches underway for new faculty and staff members to fill positions that are or will be vacant due to retirements, relocations, and programmatic growth. Here is an update on where we stand.

First, here is the good news regarding recently completed – and very successful – searches:

• Sarah Nielsen is the new chair of the Department of Occupational Therapy following the retirement in June of long-time chair Dr. Janet Jedlicka.
• Andrew McLean is the inaugural Associate Dean for Wellness.

Second, it is with a mixture of happiness and sadness that I note the relocation of Jeanette Gratton, currently in my office, to Twamley Hall as the new Events Coordinator/Administrative Assistant in the Office of the President. Jeanette has provided important support to me and the SMHS over the past nearly 13 years in her role as Projects Assistant. Thus, I am happy for Jeanette and her exciting new role in the Office of the President, but sad that we will no longer have her at the School. All the best, Jeanette!

Finally, here is a status report on the other administrative searches underway:

• Chair of the Department of Indigenous Heath – Preparations are underway to bring a candidate to campus later this month for a visit/tour and interviews.
• Director, Center for Rural Health – One candidate has been fully vetted and is in the final stages of consideration, but the position remains open at this time.
• Deputy Director, Institutional Development Award (IDeA) Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) – One candidate has been fully vetted and we are in the final stages of contract negotiation.
• Wadhwani Family Endowed Chair of Translational Research – One candidate has been fully vetted and is in the final stages of consideration, but the position remains open at this time.
• Director, Master of Public Health program – Several candidates are being vetted.
• Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion – Several candidates are being vetted.

Thus, overall, I think the search teams have made good progress on most of the searches. We had hoped to have all of the positions filled by September 1 of this year, but I don’t think we will quite make that deadline; however, January 1, 2024, seems very achievable.

I’ve mentioned before that the supply chain issues that you notice frequently in the supermarket and elsewhere are even more challenging for human capital (i.e., people), so I’m especially pleased with the overall status of our recruitment efforts in view of the highly competitive marketplace in which we find ourselves. And it’s not just us – this is a universal issue across the country and the globe for academic healthcare institutions. More to come on the recruitment topic, but we are making progress, thanks to the efforts of many.

Joshua Wynne, MD, MBA, MPH
Vice President for Health Affairs, UND
Dean, UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences