Home Past IssuesAbout UsContact Us Twitter Icon Facebook Logo LinkedIn Logo

A Letter from the Dean

The Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth has seen much success and some new challenges over the past year. Overall, we've accomplished a great deal because of the excellence and commitment of our faculty, staff, and students.

In 2013, we faced the challenge of LCME reaccreditation. Under the direction of Rich Simons, senior associate dean for medical education, and Rand Swenson, professor of anatomy, and with the hard work of many at Geisel, we received the full eight-year accreditation. This was no easy task, as the LCME accreditation has become much tougher and is now holding schools accountable to increasingly strict requirements.

This has also been a significant year for Geisel's research enterprise. Construction continues on the Williamson Translational Research Building, which will be the home of bench-to-bedside and bedside-to-community research at Dartmouth. Our translational research efforts received another major boost with the announcement of our $18 million grant from the NIH's highly competitive Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) program.

The faculty-led Geisel Budget Improvement Committee (GBIC) and I have been examining our entire operations over the past several months, identifying budget savings and new revenue potential. Our goal is to establish a sustainable budget that ensures that we can continue to invest in our educational and research strengths. I have reviewed and approved many of the GBIC's recommendations, and we began implementing budget actions in January that will save the Medical School approximately $7.5 to $8 million this fiscal year and put us on the path to arriving at our overall budget improvement goal of $13 million by fiscal year 2016.

In light of these financial challenges—which all medical schools face—we must remain focused on our goals and mindful of our progress. The Medical School's momentum is demonstrated by the fact that applications to our 2014 MD entering class are up 22 percent compared to last year—an increase that is more than three times the projected national average.

I'm also happy to report that we are experiencing record philanthropic support for Geisel in fiscal year 2014, including two recent major endowments for research totaling $8.75 million. Our accelerated engagement and communications with students, alumni, and other supporters across the world over the past 18 months is a major reason for the rise in both student interest and donor support. More people now know about Geisel, and many would like to be part of this special place in some way.

Your faith in our work to improve lives and help our students be successful inspires us every day. Thanks for everything you do to make Geisel better.


Chip Souba, MD, ScD, MBA
Dean, Geisel School of Medicine
Vice President for Health Affairs, Dartmouth College


If you'd like to offer feedback about this article, we'd welcome getting your comments at DartMed@Dartmouth.edu.

This article may not be reproduced or reposted without permission. To inquire about permission, contact DartMed@Dartmouth.edu.

Back to Table of Contents

Geisel School of Medicine at DartmouthDartmouth-Hitchcock Medical CenterWhite River Junction VAMCNorris Cotton Cancer CenterDartmouth College