Dear Members of the Yale School of Medicine Community,

We are pleased to announce that the Yale Corporation has approved the reappointment of Nancy J. Brown, MD, Jean and David W. Wallace Dean of Medicine and C.N.H. Long Professor of Internal Medicine, as dean of the Yale School of Medicine (YSM) for a second term of five years, effective July 1, 2025. This renewal recognizes Dean Brown’s success over the past five years in leading the advancement of the school’s mission and in elevating its national and global reputation.

Yale is fortunate to have brought on such a distinguished leader, scientist, and clinician in March 2020 – just moments before the start of a global health crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic. We are thankful for Nancy’s leadership and guidance in helping the school, university, and medical community navigate this complex time. We are also grateful to the YSM community for its expertise, hard work, and contributions in making the past five years a time of progress and transformation.

Since 2020, YSM has made advances critical to building a vibrant community of future leaders in medicine and science. Under Nancy’s leadership, the school has reached important milestones toward its goal of providing a debt-free medical education for all individuals with demonstrated financial need, and in 2023, the school announced a pledged gift of $25 million from the Starr Foundation. This funding, together with the development of innovative alumni outreach initiatives, has enhanced the school’s ability to recruit extraordinary students from across the country and world. Recently, YSM also has expanded resources to support faculty in balancing their teaching responsibilities, enhanced institutional funding for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, and revamped the Master of Health Sciences program.

To nurture creativity and dialogue, the school has renovated space for students to study and connect with their classmates, residents, fellows, faculty, and alumni. Further fostering an inclusive learning community, the school launched six student advisory houses to provide academic and career advising and to facilitate mentorship, research opportunities, and career exploration for students. Recognizing its high quality and integrity, the Liaison Committee on Medical Education reaccredited YSM’s educational program for another eight years in 2023.

Nancy has also led important advancements in YSM’s clinical mission. Over the last five years, YSM has collaborated with Yale New Haven Health System (YNHHS) to create the first joint strategic plan, outlining the alignment of their operations, care delivery, and initiatives. A critical milestone in this work was the creation of a new Aligned Clinician Enterprise that partners YSM and YNHHS clinicians in delivering care that meets the highest standards of quality, safety, and efficiency. In addition, YSM and YNHHS enacted a new funds flow model, which increases reinvestment in research and clinical care. Now established as physicians-in-chiefs across the health system, the YSM clinical chairs are joining with other leaders in the system to optimize care in their respective specialties.

Meanwhile, YSM has expanded its research capacity and impact. Nancy has led the school to secure increased research funding and recruit world-renowned scientists, clinicians, and leaders. As part of an overarching space plan, YSM developed research space at 100 College Street, 300 George Street, and 101 College Street, while continuing to build core technologies, clinical research infrastructure, and tools for emerging areas such as artificial intelligence. YSM also has diversified ways to support faculty research, such as by joining the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub NY, and has established numerous programs and centers to advance the school’s mission and realize the broader university science strategy.

During the reappointment review process, we received a wide range of comments and ideas from the YSM community, and we are grateful to all who took the time to participate. Many expressed appreciation for Nancy’s highly principled leadership style and commitment to YSM’s mission. Members of the YSM community were particularly pleased with the school’s progress in increasing support for medical education, transforming clinical operations, and promoting innovative and collaborative research.

Nancy has told us that the heart of YSM’s mission is its community. In her second term, she will redouble her commitment to listen to the YSM community to foster an environment that values, respects, and leverages everyone’s strengths. We are confident that Nancy’s continued leadership will steer YSM through both challenge and celebration, advancing your work to improve the health of all people.

Sincerely,

Maurie McInnis
President
Professor of the History of Art

Scott Strobel
Provost
Henry Ford II Professor of Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry