Amelia C. Grover, M.D., FACS, named senior associate dean for faculty affairs and development

I am pleased and proud to announce the appointment of Amelia C. Grover, M.D., FACS, to serve as the next senior associate dean for faculty affairs and development at the VCU School of Medicine, effective Nov. 1, 2025.

Dr. Grover’s distinguished, 20-year career at SOM as a clinician, leader and educator, combined with her commitment to wellbeing, career growth and professionalism, make her the right choice to lead our faculty and advance our mission going forward.

The senior associate dean for faculty affairs and development reports directly to the dean of the School of Medicine, and works closely with the vice dean, senior associate dean for clinical affairs and SOM department chairs. Dr. Grover will remain a professor in the Department of Surgery while serving in this leadership role.

Dr. Grover has been extensively engaged with the health and welfare of faculty throughout her VCU career. She assumed the SADFA role on an interim basis in June 2024, which was preceded by her position as assistant dean for faculty affairs and director of professionalism, engagement and wellness at SOM.

She currently co-chairs the SOM Professionalism Committee and the Wellness Council and is a member of the MCVP Board of Directors. She has served as a member of the AAMC Group on Women in Medicine and Science’s Steering Committee and chaired the American College of Surgeons Committee on Diversity Issues. She has been active in Women in Science, Dentistry and Medicine (WISDM) throughout her time at VCU, serving as president from 2011 to 2013. Dr. Grover is a research team member on the SOM First Wellness grant funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and is looking at systemic solutions to address burnout and promote wellness in surgical providers. Her work has been recognized through VCU’s WISDM professional achievement award in 2015 and her nomination to the local chapter of the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society. Last year, she completed the prestigious Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) fellowship sponsored by Drexel University.

Dr. Grover came to VCU in 2005, after serving as a fellow in surgery at the National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute. She received her medical education at Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, Mich., and completed her internship and residency in surgery at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oaks, Mich.

I am grateful to the members of the search committee for this position, with particular thanks to our co-chairs, David X. Cifu, M.D., and Jill C. Bettinger, Ph.D.

Our school is fortunate to have someone of Dr. Grover’s talent, dedication and institutional engagement to serve in this role. Moreover, she is a kind and caring physician servant-leader who I believe is more than ready to meet the responsibilities and challenges of this demanding position. Please join me in congratulating and supporting her in this new role.

Sincerely,

Arturo P. Saavedra, M.D., Ph.D.
Dean, VCU School of Medicine
Executive vice president for medical affairs, VCU Health System