Colleen Wallace, MD, has been named Assistant Dean of Student Affairs effective August 2023. Dr. Wallace first came to WashU as a medical student in 1997. Upon graduation, she completed her pediatric residency at St. Louis Children’s Hospital and promptly transitioned into a successful clinician/educator journey. Along the way, she has served as the Co-Director and Director for the Pediatrics Clerkship, Instructor and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Director of the Program for Humanities in Medicine. Dr. Wallace currently supports the Gateway Curriculum as the Co-Director of Module 1 “Molecules to Society”, Thread Director of Professional Identity Formation, and on the Gateway Competency Attainment Committee. She has earned numerous teaching awards, most recently Distinguished Service in Teaching Awards for Inclusion in 2023 and for Medicine and Society in 2022. As a clinician she has served in both emergency and inpatient settings, currently working in the Newborn Nursery at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.
The Assistant Dean is primarily responsible for the delivery of programs and services to support medical students’ personal and professional development across the student lifecycle. “WashU’s warm and welcoming environment drew me here as a student and I look forward to collaborating with our wonderful leadership team in furthering our goal of providing a supportive and inclusive environment where every student feels the sense of belonging that is essential for them to meet their personal and professional goals. I am honored by the opportunity to accompany students on their own journeys at WUSM,” said Dr. Wallace.
“Dr. Wallace is an expert in professional identity formation and a caring student advocate. She will bring excellent leadership to student groups, help reinvigorate the societies and help support longitudinal programming in student professional identity formation and wellbeing. I am very excited for this opportunity to work with her,” said Dr. Eva Aagaard.