UC names College of Medicine dean, senior vp for health affairs

The University of Cincinnati has named Dr. Andrew Filak, Jr., dean of the College of Medicine and senior vice president for health affairs. Filak, who has been serving in the role on an interim basis since August 2018, will officially assume the position January 1, 2020, pending approval by the UC Board of Trustees. 

“The University conducted a very thoughtful and comprehensive search to find the next leader of the College of Medicine,” said Neville Pinto, president of the University of Cincinnati.  “Dr. Filak is a proven and respected leader who will work to advance the research, teaching and clinical missions of the College of Medicine and support the clinical mission of our region’s only academic healthcare system, UC Health.”

Filak will oversee a medical college consisting of 25 departments with about 2,500 employees and almost 1,700 students. A 2016 UC Economics Center study concluded the College of Medicine has an economic impact of nearly $1 billion in the region.

Filak has more than four decades of experience at the UC College of Medicine, UC Medical Center, and the UC Academic Heath Center. Prior to his position as interim dean, Dr. Filak served as senior associate dean for academic affairs, founding chair of the Department of Medical Education and professor of medical education and family and community medicine at the UC College of Medicine. He also served as vice president for education for UC Health.

“Andy Filak is a renowned leader in medical education. With his guidance and expertise the College of Medicine has implemented an innovative four-year integrative curriculum to develop our future physicians, researchers and medical scholars so they are positioned to think boldly and solve society’s biggest health challenges,” said Kristi Nelson, executive vice president for academic affairs and provost. “Under his leadership, the College recently undertook a rigorous self-study in preparation for what turned out to be an extremely positive site visit by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education.”

The Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) is an accrediting body for educational programs at medical schools in the United States and Canada. In October, the College of Medicine underwent a comprehensive eight-year reaccreditation review by LCME surveyors.

Filak led all educational activities at UC’s College of Medicine from 1991 until 2018. He also has served as the Designated Institutional Official for graduate medical education for the UC Medical Center and the College of Medicine for more than 30 years and as director of the UC Area Health Education Center program and director of the Family Medicine Residency Training Program. 

In his new role, Filak will advance the research, teaching and clinical missions of the College of Medicine, partner with UC Health to support and grow its clinical mission, and continue his work to establish and lead a strategic direction for the Academic Health Center.

“I am excited about this opportunity to work with the outstanding faculty, staff and students at the College of Medicine as we move forward with our missions of research, education and clinical care,” Filak said. “We have a faculty who exemplify the university’s strategic direction, ‘Next Lives Here,’ by continually making significant research discoveries and identifying ways to translate medical advancements to benefit our patients. I also am constantly impressed by the superb students we are able to attract to our medical, graduate and undergraduate educational programs. The College of Medicine is indispensable to the health and vitality of our community, and I am privileged and honored to continue leading this incredible team.”

Filak continues to practice Family Medicine, teach medical students and residents, and serve on many national, state and university committees. He is currently chair of the board of directors of the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) and a member of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Composite Committee. He previously served as a member of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Institutional Review Committee and the Association for American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Advisory Panel on Medical Education. 

He has received numerous honors and awards, including Educator of the Year Award from the Ohio Academy of Family Medicine, the Parker J. Palmer Courage to Lead Award from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, the John C. Leonard Award from the Association for Hospital Medical Education, the UC President’s Award for Excellence, and the Daniel Drake Medal from the UC College of Medicine.

Filak joined the UC faculty in 1981. He received his medical degree from George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Washington, D.C., and completed his family medicine residency at the UC College of Medicine where he also served as Chief Resident. 

About the UC College of Medicine

Founded in 1819 as the Medical College of Ohio, the UC College of Medicine was the first medical school in Ohio and is the second-oldest public medical school in the country. It became part of the University of Cincinnati in 1896. The college has more than 1,800 faculty members and nearly 1,700 medical, graduate and baccalaureate students. Deeply involved in research, the college and the affiliated Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center received more than $347 million in research funding in FY2019. Patient care is provided by University of Cincinnati Physicians, the college’s 800-member faculty group practice, at UC Health, the college’s affiliated academic health system, and the Cincinnati Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Photos by Colleen Kelley/UC Creative Services