College of Medicine dean announces departure
Ohio State to launch national search for replacement
Dean K. Craig Kent, a vascular surgeon who has led The Ohio State University College of Medicine during a period of rapid growth, has accepted a senior leadership position at another prominent academic medical center.
Effective Feb. 1, 2020, Kent will be the executive vice president for health affairs at the University of Virginia, overseeing UVA Health and its clinical enterprise, which spans the Commonwealth of Virginia.
“Congratulations to our good friend and colleague Craig Kent on his appointment,” said Ohio State President Michael V. Drake, MD. “He has made lasting contributions here at The Ohio State University, and we are certain he will do the same for UVA. I am sorry to see him go but wish him all the best in this next chapter of his impressive professional life.”
Ohio State will launch a national search for Kent’s successor and name an interim leader before he departs.
“Dr. Kent was selected for this new role, in part, because of his achievements at Ohio State, which have elevated the national reputation of the College of Medicine and the Wexner Medical Center,” said a joint message from Dr. Harold L. Paz, executive vice president and chancellor for health affairs, and Bruce A. McPheron, executive vice president and provost.
Under Kent’s leadership, the Ohio State College of Medicine has generated a string of accomplishments including:
- Expanding the faculty from 1,680 members to more than 2,100. The college continues to grow and announced a plan in 2018 to add 500 biomedical faculty members over five years.
- Attracting $268.5 million in research funding in fiscal year 2019, a $50 million increase over the year before.
- Welcoming one of the nation’s most diverse medical school classes. In 2019, 24 percent of College of Medicine students are from underrepresented minority groups.
“I am proud of the momentum we have built at Ohio State and the solid foundation for continued growth at the College of Medicine and Wexner Medical Center,” said Kent. “I will miss Ohio State but am excited about this next step in my career.”
In addition to his role as dean of Ohio State’s College of Medicine, Kent is vice president for health sciences and the Leslie H. and Abigail S. Wexner Dean’s Chair in Medicine. Craig joined Ohio State in 2016 from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, where he was chair of the department of surgery.
Craig was selected in 2019 to join the National Academy of Medicine.
The Ohio State College of Medicine is part of one of the most comprehensive health sciences campuses in America, which includes the Wexner Medical Center and the colleges of Nursing, Pharmacy, Dentistry, Optometry, Public Health and Veterinary Medicine. The College of Medicine features 19 clinical departments, seven basic science departments and an outstanding School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences.
