Georgetown University Selects Nationally Recognized Educator to Lead Its Medical School

Posted in News Release  |  Tagged medical education, new faculty appointment, School of Medicine

WASHINGTON (March 30, 2021) — Today, Georgetown University announced the selection of Leon “Lee” Jones, MD, as the new Dean for Medical Education at Georgetown University School of Medicine. Jones currently serves as Associate Dean for Students and Health Sciences Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine. He will begin as Dean for Medical Education and Professor of Psychiatry on August 1, 2021.

“Dr. Jones is an inspiring and transformational leader who is uniquely positioned to lead our medical school into this next decade,” said Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH, executive vice president for health sciences at Georgetown University Medical Center and executive dean of the School of Medicine. “He is highly regarded nationally as a champion for advancing medical education, for medical students and the issues that most affect them, and for creating a culture of equity and diversity. Very importantly, he also exudes empathy, warmth, and humor. I am confident these characteristics will bring great value as he cultivates relationships with students, faculty, staff, and colleagues across the University and our clinical partner MedStar Health.”

“As our School of Medicine continues its work to sustain and advance a community that enables diverse students and faculty to learn and thrive, we are deeply grateful for the expertise and experience Dr. Jones will bring to his new role as Dean,” said Georgetown President John J. DeGioia. “We look forward to the many contributions Dr. Jones will make to our School of Medicine community and the future of medical education at Georgetown.”

Jones is a national leader in efforts to advance equity and inclusion at medical schools in the United States. He has led extensive work in developing evidence-based policy, initiatives, and educational programs with a focus on medical school admissions, diversity, student support and learning environment, and student financial assistance. A member of Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Board of Directors, he currently chairs the AAMC Task Force on Redesign of the Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE) and serves as AAMC’s representative to the Coalition for Physician Accountability. He is past chair of the AAMC’s Group on Student Affairs National Steering Committee.

Jones brings more than 25 years of experience in medical education to his new role. Previously, he has served as associate dean for students at the medical schools of University of California Davis, University of Arizona, University of Texas School of Medicine at San Antonio, and UCSF. He has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors including induction in the Gold Humanism Honor Society, a Student National Medical Association (SNMA) Achievement and Leadership Award, an AAMC Group on Student Affairs Exemplary Service Award, among others.

Jones has served as a national leader on medical education and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), as well as for the Building the Next Generation of Academic Physicians diversity initiative. In addition, he has been an active participant in educational initiatives designed to enhance care of LGBTQI+ patients.

Jones holds a bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College, a medical degree from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and is a board-certified psychiatrist. After a psychiatry residency and chief residency at UCLA’s Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, he completed a consultation-liaison fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan, and a research fellowship at UC San Diego focusing on the interactions between the central nervous system and peripheral immune system.

Jones succeeds Stephen R. Mitchell, MD, who stepped down in 2020. Mitchell remains a member of our faculty as a professor of medicine and Dean Emeritus.