The tenure of Jack A. Elias, MD, as Brown’s dean of medicine and biological sciences and senior vice president for health affairs was marked by many milestones and accomplishments.
He guided the division’s 132-percent increase in grant funding during the last nine years. He led the formation of Brown Physicians, Inc., a 500-member faculty practice group. He also oversaw the establishment of multiple new translational research centers in Alzheimer’s disease, biomedical informatics, cancer, digital health, translational neuroscience, alternatives to animals in testing, and the computational biology of human disease. The impact his work had on students is also worth celebrating, including a substantial increase in class size to its current 144 students, and the establishment of the MD/MSc program.
Under Dean Elias’ leadership, the Medical School received its first-ever full-ride endowed scholarships that provide tuition and living expenses for all four years of medical school. Funds like these are critical to Brown’s ability to provide outstanding students with the resources they need to pursue medical education. The School also created new funds to support student research for both medical and undergraduate students.
In addition, Dean Elias made an indelible mark by reestablishing the MD/PhD training program at Brown on the strength of a gift from The Warren Alpert Foundation. The training of physician-scientists is a vital component of any research-focused medical school. The Warren Alpert Physician- Scientist MD/PhD and Advanced Training Program has thrived since its launch in 2017, with more than 300 applicants a year for its three spots.
To honor his many accomplishments, members of the Brown community, led by Pardon R. Kenney ’72 MMSc’75 MD’75 RES’80, P’03, have begun an effort to establish the Jack A. Elias, MD, Term Scholarship as part of the Brown Medical Annual Fund. “The profound impact that Jack’s leadership has had on the Medical School and the Division of Biology and Medicine will be felt for years to come,” Kenney says. “Our graduates and Brown University as a whole have been elevated by his all-encompassing vision for research and education, and I am thrilled to help honor him in this way.”
To join this effort with a gift, please visit brown.edu/go/DeanElias.
