Two veteran faculty members are assuming new roles as associate deans within Vanderbilt University School of Medicine’s Office of Faculty Affairs.
Steven Meranze, M.D., has been named an associate dean for Faculty Affairs, and John Penn, Ph.D., has been promoted from assistant dean to associate dean. Both report to David Raiford, M.D., senior associate dean for Faculty Affairs and associate vice chancellor for Health Affairs.
Raiford said that Meranze and Penn bring considerable strengths and experience to the Office of Faculty Affairs.
“I am delighted that Dr. Meranze will join Dr. Penn and me in the Office of Faculty Affairs. Steve has earned wide respect among leaders at VUMC for his effectiveness as chair of the VUH credentials committee and for his thoughtful handling of faculty affairs matters within the department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences,” Raiford said.
“In light of Dr. Penn’s exemplary contributions as assistant dean for faculty development since 2009, it is timely and altogether fitting that John be promoted and have an expanded role in fostering success for faculty members within the School of Medicine. He has been a terrific partner and faculty advocate.”
Meranze, professor of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Surgery and Urology and vice chair of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, will work with the department chairs, center directors and other School of Medicine leaders to promote and optimize faculty involvement in the School of Medicine’s academic missions.
His responsibilities will include reviewing nominations for endowed chairs in the School of Medicine and staffing and support of department chair searches. He will also be a consultant in senior level faculty recruitment, will manage VUMC faculty conflict of interest issues and will be a liaison with the Vanderbilt Office of Compliance and Corporate Integrity.
Meranze is a specialist in vascular and interventional radiology. His current clinical and research interests focus on the treatment of primary and metastatic liver malignancies through either percutaneous or endovascular regional therapies. He earned his medical degree from Thomas Jefferson University School of Medicine and completed a residency in Radiology and a fellowship in Vascular and Interventional Radiology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where he then served on the faculty with a strong emphasis in gastrointestinal interventions. He joined the Vanderbilt faculty in 1992.
“I’m honored to have the opportunity to work more closely with Dr. Raiford, Dr. Penn and the staff of the Office of Faculty Affairs in this new role. I have greatly enjoyed collaborating with my colleagues on prior occasions and look forward to serving with them as a resource for the School of Medicine faculty,” said Meranze.
Penn, vice chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, has served as assistant dean for Faculty Development for the past five years. He will remain responsible for professional development and academic advancement of faculty members and will oversee the School of Medicine’s Faculty Appointments and Promotions Committee (FAPC), as well as faculty reappointments.
He will also be responsible for the School of Medicine’s Faculty Orientation and Training Office (FOTO) and related compliance efforts as well as intra- and extramural faculty development programs and faculty awards, the Emeritus Faculty Office and Vanderbilt’s presence in relevant interest groups within the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).
Penn, the Phyllis G. and William B. Snyder Endowed Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, is one of the premier retinal vascular biologists in the world and a widely recognized expert in ocular angiogenesis, the abnormal growth of blood vessels in the eye, which is a critical feature of several leading causes of blindness. He joined the Vanderbilt faculty in 1998.
A graduate of the University of South, in Sewanee, Tenn., he earned his Ph.D. in Molecular Biophysics from Florida State University. He completed fellowship training at Baylor College of Medicine.
“I’m grateful and very pleased to have the opportunity to expand my role in the Faculty Affairs Office. David Raiford is a uniquely gifted mentor and colleague, and I believe our efforts in the realm of professional development have significantly and positively impacted VUSM faculty. That the work is highly rewarding to me is an added bonus. Also, having collaborated with Steve Meranze on administrative tasks for the School of Medicine, I know that he will be an outstanding addition to the Faculty Affairs team and I look forward to working with him,” Penn said.