Academic Medicine Dean Insights: Allison Brashear, M.D., M.B.A.

"Academic medicine is where everything comes together," says Allison Brashear, M.D., Vice President for Health Sciences and Dean of the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Buffalo. "It's education, research, clinical care, and the community." Her passion for all of these pursuits has led Dr. Brashear to leadership roles of increasing responsibility. In a recent episode of WittKieffer's Academic Medicine Dean Insight Series, she reflects upon her career growth and future trajectory with Academic Medicine Practice Leader Kim Smith.   

Dr. Brashear cites the rapid pace of change as the most daunting challenge in academic medicine today. She mentions the impact of AI, evolving education curricula, and the dynamic research landscape as adding to the complexity leaders face. Successful change initiatives involve creating a sense of urgency, building a core team with a shared vision, and putting infrastructure in place to "help move the ball down the field." 

Dr. Brashear shares a wealth of advice for other deans. Each deanship is different, she says, but there are new and evolving skills required for success in the role. These include an understanding of finance, HR, and legal aspects of academic medicine. Dr. Brashear encourages future leaders to aim high and seize opportunities, knowing they don't have to go it alone – there is support from other leaders in the academic medicine community. "Always train to be ready," she says, "so that if the door opens you're ready to walk through it."