COM Dean Dr. Colenda appointed Vice President for Clinical Affairs

(COLLEGE STATION, TX) – Christopher C. Colenda, M.D., M.P.H., Jean and Thomas McMullin Dean of the College of Medicine, has been appointed the new Vice President for Clinical Affairs for the Texas A&M Health Science Center.

The appointment was approved at the March 26 meeting of The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents.

As Vice President for Clinical Affairs, Dr. Colenda will be responsible for the operations, planning and integration for all clinical activities under the umbrella of the HSC. This includes practice plan issues and graduate medical education sponsored by the Health Science Center.

Further, Dr. Colenda will play a significant role in managing the clinical program of the university’s practice platform for defining areas of involvement, coordinating collaborations and enhancing market adoption of the A&M physician brand. He will also be responsible for creating and enhancing collaborative relationships with communities in which the HSC employs physicians to model productive, professional relationships across the practice spectrum.

Dr. Colenda became the Jean and Thomas McMullin Dean of the HSC-College of Medicine in January 2003 and will continue in this role. His responsibilities as the chief administrative and academic officer for the college include being responsible for the organization, operation, development and evaluation of instruction and research programs as well as leading the faculty and administration for all academic programs of the college.

Dr. Colenda serves on the HSC Executive Committee, is a member of the Liaison Committee for Medical Education, and serves on the boards of the National Board of Medical Examiners, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, and the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. He was recently selected to serve on the Psychological Health External Advisory Subcommittee for the Defense Health Board, Department of Defense, and elected to the Administrative Board of the Council of Deans for the Association of American Medical Colleges.

Dr. Colenda was selected as a delegate to the White House Conference on Aging in Washington, D.C., in 2005. Other recognitions include the American Psychiatric Association Jack Weinberg Award in Geriatric Psychiatry, the Alumni Star for the School of Medicine of the Medical College of Virginia, Outstanding Faculty Award from the College of Human Medicine at Michigan State University and a Special Commendation from the Council of Aging of the American Psychiatric Association. He is a member of Alpha Omega Alpha and Sigma Xi Honorary Societies. He was elected to the American College of Psychiatrists in 1998 and has been listed among the Best Doctors in America since 1994.

Dr. Colenda came to the HSC-College of Medicine from Michigan State University, where he served as professor and chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and associate dean for Programs and Projects. Prior to his service as MSU, he was a faculty member and administrator at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and at the Medical College of Virginia of Virginia Commonwealth University.

Dr. Colenda received a B.A. in chemistry from Wittenberg University in 1974, followed by his M.D. degree in 1977 from the Medical College of Virginia. He completed his training in psychiatry at the University of Virginia Hospitals and at Emory University where he served as Chief Resident and Fellow. He received a Master of Public Health in Health Services Administration from John Hopkins University in 1982.