Description

The Associate Dean, Quality and Accreditation provides strategic leadership for accreditation, institutional assessment, and continuous quality improvement (CQI) across the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine (OU HCOM). This role has primary responsibility for the planning, coordination, oversight, and sustainability of accreditation and evaluation systems that support regulatory compliance, institutional effectiveness, and evidence-based decision making.

The Associate Dean represents the College in internal, university level, and external accreditation and effectiveness activities; leads institutional self-study processes and ongoing reporting; advances data informed assessment and quality improvement initiatives; and contributes to scholarly work in medical education, assessment, and accreditation. The role serves as a key advisor to senior leadership on accreditation readiness, institutional risk, and emerging trends affecting medical school quality and compliance.

The Associate Dean partners closely with the Senior Dean and Chief Academic Officer, Campus Deans, Associate Deans, department chairs, curriculum committees, faculty, and university accreditation offices to advance a culture of continuous improvement, institutional excellence, and sustained accreditation success.

Position Responsibilities:

Accreditation Leadership & Compliance

• Lead institutional accreditation activities for OU HCOM, including self-study development, ongoing reporting, site visit preparation, and coordination for programmatic and institutional accreditors.
• Serve as the College’s primary representative to national, state, and university level accreditation and institutional effectiveness bodies.
• Ensure continuous compliance with program specific (e.g., COCA, ACGME) and institutional accreditation standards through systematic monitoring, documentation, and reporting.
• Advise senior leadership on accreditation readiness, risks, gaps, and evidence based corrective actions.
• Maintain a continuous accreditation infrastructure that supports proactive monitoring and sustainability.
• Develop and execute a comprehensive, sustainable institutional accreditation and assessment strategy embedded within continuous, integrated processes.

Institutional Assessment & Continuous Quality Improvement

• Lead college level institutional assessment and evaluation activities aligned with institutional effectiveness and quality improvement frameworks.
• Align medical school assessment and CQI processes with broader university effectiveness initiatives.
• Apply quality improvement methodologies (e.g., gap analysis, root cause analysis, process mapping) to inform institutional improvement efforts.
• Promote the use of national and regional benchmarking and evidence based best practices in assessment and accreditation.

Data, Analytics, & Reporting

• Advance data integrity, governance, and compliance to support accurate internal reporting and external regulatory submissions.
• Collect, analyze, and synthesize data from internal units and external sources (e.g., AAMC, ACGME, national benchmarks) to inform accreditation and institutional evaluation.
• Develop and oversee dashboards, metrics, and reporting structures to communicate institutional effectiveness and accreditation related outcomes to varied audiences.
• Supervise the maintenance of institutional documentation, reports, and data repositories supporting accreditation and evaluation.
  
  

Scholarship, Consultation, & Capacity Building

• Conduct institutional assessment and educational research using qualitative and quantitative methods, including survey design, data analysis, and reporting.
• Produce peer reviewed scholarship related to institutional effectiveness, accreditation, and medical education.
• Provide consultation to college units (e.g., admissions, curriculum, student affairs) to ensure alignment with accreditation standards and assessment best practices.
• Foster internal and external partnerships to advance the work of the OIAA and institutional success.
• Pursue grant and funding opportunities to support institutional effectiveness initiatives and evaluation work.

Leadership & Supervision

• Lead, supervise, and mentor professional staff and student employees within the Office of Institutional Assessment and Accreditation.
• Manage OIAA operations, personnel supervision, and the unit’s budget.

About the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine:

Mission:

We pride ourselves on our strong focus on our mission: training osteopathic primary care physicians to serve Ohio.

Our medical school educates physicians committed to practice in Ohio, emphasizes primary care, engages in focused research, and embraces both Appalachian and urban communities. Integral to this mission, our college community commits itself to: providing a clinically integrated, learning-centered, osteopathic medical education continuum for students, interns, residents and primary care associates; embracing public service; and improving the health and well-being of underserved populations.

Vision:

A healthier Ohio, empowered by compassionate osteopathic physicians.

With our graduates and partners, we advance care and knowledge to improve the health of our communities. Our culture is built upon resiliency, courage and compassion. Our physicians humanize each patient encounter, bridging the gap between therapeutics, medical technologies, health systems, care delivery and disparity.

Essential Values:

These fundamental principles form the foundation of the culture at our college: wholeness and balance within each person; integrity; community of mutual respect; acceptance of others; pursuit of excellence; a climate of scholarship; and commitment to service, generosity and compassion.

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications

• Requires a Master’s degree in a related field, 15 or more years of related professional experience, and 9 or more years of supervisory experience, or equivalent education and experience.
   

Preferred Qualifications

• M.D., D.O., Ph.D., Ed.D., or comparable terminal degree with a focus in higher education, institutional assessment, educational research/measurement, or a related field.
• 7+ years of progressively responsible experience in medical education, institutional assessment, educational evaluation, or research, and accreditation processes.
• Experience with COCA, ACGME, and regional or university level accreditation bodies.
• Demonstrated experience leading continuous quality improvement initiatives.
• Strong quantitative and qualitative research skills, including survey design, data analysis, and reporting.
• Record of scholarly productivity related to institutional evaluation, accreditation, or medical education.
• Self-directed, highly motivated, and effective in collaborative, complex educational environments.
• Experience applying artificial intelligence (AI) or advanced analytics to assessment or accreditation work.
• Experience in osteopathic undergraduate and/or graduate medical education.