Appointment of Nicole Deiorio, M.D., as Associate Dean for Student Affairs

Dear Colleagues-Friends,

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Nicole M. Deiorio, M.D., as associate dean for student affairs. A national leader in academic coaching in the medical education field, she brings valuable experiences and skills to her new role.

Dr. Deiorio will partner closely with our other associate dean for student affairs, Christopher Woleben, M.D., to work with our more than 800 medical students in career and academic advising. Dr. Deiorio will be the lead in the Student Affairs office for the new coaching program designed to better prepare students for internship via the Core Entrustable Professional Activities. She also will be the lead person working on new wellness initiatives for medical students in the Student Affairs office. Dr. Deiorio has worked with Dr. Woleben on several projects on a national level, most recently on the video interviews for emergency medicine residency applications.

Dr. Deiorio was most recently assistant dean for student affairs at Oregon Health & Science University, where she created a learning community and coaching program for undergraduate medical education. Her interests include professional identity formation and the transition to residency, and her research investigates the residency selection process and outcomes in undergraduate medical education as well as learning communities and coaching.

An emergency medicine physician, Dr. Deiorio has taught students at many levels, from directing the OHSU Principles of Clinical Medicine course to clinical experiences in emergency medicine for third- and fourth-year students. She has received multiple local and national awards for teaching and education leadership, including the Hal Jayne Excellence in Education Award from the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

I am grateful to Assistant Dean for Medical Education Diane Biskobing, M.D., who led the search committee, and also to Interim Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs Betsy Ripley, M.D., and Senior Associate Dean for Evaluation, Assessment and Scholarship of Learning Sally Santen, M.D., Ph.D., in recruiting Dr. Deiorio to our medical school.

Please join me in welcoming her when she assumes her new role in August.

Warm Regards,

Peter F. Buckley, M.D.
Dean, VCU School of Medicine
Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs, VCU Health System