As part of a comprehensive, ongoing effort to establish an academic health sciences center with Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) in partnership with Sentara Healthcare, Old Dominion University has selected Alicia Monroe, M.D., to serve as its Chief Integration Officer and Senior Advisor to the President, effective Sept. 6, 2022, for a two-year period throughout the planning and implementation process. In this role, Dr. Monroe will lead the University's Integration Management Office by providing oversight and support of the continued and critical work with EVMS, as well as other partners, to strengthen health-focused academic program offerings, world-class research in both existing and new specialty areas, and state-of-the-art clinical care, as well as expand the workforce pipeline for needed health care workers.
Most recently, Dr. Monroe served as Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic and Faculty Affairs and Professor of Family Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM), located in Houston, Texas, from 2014 to the present. She was appointed the Cullen Trust for Higher Education Provost's Endowed Chair in 2017. During her tenure at BCM, Dr. Monroe has overseen academic affairs, academic accreditation and compliance, faculty development, faculty affairs, institutional diversity, inclusion and equity and the Center for Professionalism. She is the past chair of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Advancing Holistic Principles Advisory Committee and a past member of the AAMC Board of Directors. She currently serves as a member of the Baylor University Board of Regents, Indiana University Health Inc. Board of Directors, Methodist Health Group Inc. Board of Directors and MedEdPORTAL Editorial Board.
In announcing the selection of Dr. Monroe, President Brian O. Hemphill, Ph.D., said, "Old Dominion University is honored to provide a warm Monarch welcome to Dr. Monroe as she joins our community of world-class scholars and family of citizen leaders. She brings a wealth of direct experience in both medical education and clinical care. Her expertise and leadership will be critical in providing needed direction and support to the Integration Management Office across all facets of our planning and implementation efforts. This is a significant step forward in providing a robust framework and necessary resources for addressing our region's health disparities."
EVMS President, Provost and Dean Alfred Z. Abuhamad, M.D., shared, "On behalf of EVMS, we are looking forward to great collaboration with President Hemphill, Dr. Monroe and all of our ODU colleagues. In meeting with Dr. Monroe, it is clear that she brings a great deal of energy, expertise and excitement to our growing partnership."
For six years, Dr. Monroe formerly served as the Chief Academic Officer, Vice Dean for Educational Affairs and Professor of Family Medicine at the University of South Florida's Morsani College of Medicine in Tampa, Florida. In this academic leadership role, Dr. Monroe provided oversight for the undergraduate medical education program, as well as the physical therapy program and graduate programs. She guided the development of a branch campus and a new medical education curriculum focused on leadership and collaborative care. She spent her early career at Brown University's Alpert Medical School in Providence, Rhode Island, as the Associate Dean for Minority Affairs and Professor of Family Medicine.
A graduate of Brown University and Indiana University School of Medicine, Dr. Monroe completed an internship in psychiatry at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and a residency in family medicine at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana. The recipient of numerous teaching and mentoring awards, Dr. Monroe's scholarly interests include physician-patient communication, cross-cultural communication, diversity and inclusion, leadership development, and mentoring training for students and faculty.
In reflecting on her lasting contributions to BCM and preparing for her future service to ODU, Dr. Monroe shared, "Throughout my professional career, I have been fully dedicated to advancing educational and health opportunities for both individuals and communities. I am truly thankful for the many years spent and great work accomplished alongside my BCM family, especially President Paul Klotman. I am looking forward to the progress and promise that awaits ODU under President Hemphill's visionary leadership and through the tireless effort of Monarch students, faculty, and staff with strong support from the Commonwealth of Virginia, Hampton Roads and local communities."