Will Ross, MD
We are pleased to announce that Dr. Will Ross has agreed to expand his role as Associate Dean for Diversity Programs to include serving as the School of Medicine’s Principal Officer for Community Partnerships. This new role will be supported jointly by the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and the Office of Education. Community engagement was recognized as a major focus area for the medical center at the June 2015 Senior Leadership Retreat on Diversity and Inclusion. In addition, at the June 2018 Curriculum Renewal Retreat for the School of Medicine, community engagement and advocacy were identified as critical future directions for the education of our medical students and residents. As the Principal Officer for Community Partnerships, Dr. Ross will work in conjunction with programs already active in the area evolving from the Institute of Public Health, Institute for Clinical and Translational Sciences, Siteman Cancer Center, the Gephardt Institute, BJC Healthcare, and other key stakeholders to enhance programs and strategies that address the health needs of our community. New initiatives will be developed in collaboration with community leaders and organizations from our city and county. In considering community partnership to be essential to our overall education and diversity and inclusion efforts, we will now be capitalizing on the long history of Will’s contributions, as well as his talents and inspiration, to foster an even more profound impact in the coming years.