Announcement: New Dean Chosen for Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry

Schulich-Dean-John-Yoo-Inset.jpgOn behalf of Western University's Board of Governors, President Alan Shepard, and the Schulich Medicine & Dentistry Decanal Selection Committee, I’m very pleased to announce that Dr. John Yoo has been appointed as the next Dean of the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, beginning May 1, 2020 through June 30, 2025.

The recommendation to appoint Dr. Yoo was advanced with the unanimous support of the Decanal Selection Committee and President Shepard, and it has received the formal approval of Western’s Board of Governors’ Senior Policy & Operations Committee.

Internationally renowned for the pioneering techniques he has developed in reconstructive head and neck surgery, Dr. Yoo currently serves Western in three capacities: as Interim Chair/Chief of the Department of Paediatrics, as Fellowship Director for the Department of Otolaryngology (Head & Neck Surgery), and as a Professor of Otolaryngology and Oncology. His clinical and academic interests include innovations in head and neck reconstruction, thyroid and parathyroid surgery, management of the paralyzed face, and head and neck oncology.

Dr. Yoo also serves as Co-chair of Cancer Care Ontario Head and Neck Cancer Disease Site, he is the President-elect of the Canadian Association of Head and Neck Surgical Oncology, and he is an executive board member with the Canadian Association of Otolaryngology and the Asia-Pacific Society of Thyroid Surgery. Dr. Yoo has also served as Chair/Chief of the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (2006-2017) and he was the longest serving Chair of the Canadian Chairs of Otolaryngology. He has been Co-Chair of the London Health Sciences Centre’s Facial Nerve Clinic since 2007. He earned his MD from the University of Toronto and has been at Western since 1997.

In reaching its decision, the Decanal Selection Committee worked diligently during the past 14 months to conduct an external review and an international search that identified and evaluated a strong pool of internal and external candidates. After multiple engagements with Dr. Yoo, the Selection Committee’s unanimous decision to recommend his appointment to the Board was informed by several factors, including his reputation as an inspired and collaborative leader who has a demonstrated track-record for driving constructive organizational change. As a tertiary care surgeon who is passionate about teaching, research, and patient care, he brings the right mix of values, knowledge, experience, energy and vision to lead effectively within a complex clinical/academic environment and leverage partnerships to realize Schulich Medicine & Dentistry's potential as one of Canada’s leading medical and dental schools.

On behalf of the Decanal Selection Committee, I want to thank our colleagues and community members for their engagement, patience and support during the selection process. The job of recruiting a strong leader to a high-profile and complex organization such as Schulich Medicine & Dentistry is challenging and time-consuming.
We are very excited with Dr. Yoo's appointment and we look forward to supporting his work, together with you, to continue building the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry’s brand as a pre-eminent medical and dental school. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Yoo and supporting his future success as he assumes this new leadership role.

I also want to congratulate and thank members of the Decanal Selection Committee for their excellent work and commitment during the past 14 months. Committee members include Susanne Schmid, James Calvin, Tim Doherty, Audra Duncan, Louise Moist, Alison Allan, Aaron Fenster, Jayne Garland, Sarah Prichard, Gillian Kernaghan, Paul Woods, Theodore Wigle, Ajay Thakar, Ramina Adam, Amanda Moehring and Kaitlyn Pettigrew.

On a final note, I want to extend my sincerest thanks to Dr. Davy Cheng for his leadership as Acting Dean during the interim period that the decanal search has been underway. Dr. Cheng has done an outstanding job and I know I speak on behalf of colleagues at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry and across campus in expressing our deep appreciation for his ongoing leadership, commitment and service to the School and University.

Sincerely,

Andrew Hrymak
Provost & Vice-President (Academic)
Western University