Dr. Joseph Kerschner, the executive vice president, provost and dean of the Medical College of Wisconsin School of Medicine will step down from his leadership roles effective Dec. 31, the MCW announced on Tuesday.
Kerschner will transition out of leadership to serve as a full-time faculty member and professor in both the Otolaryngology and Communication Sciences department and the Microbiology and Immunology department. By the end of the year, Kerschner will have led the School of Medicine for 14 years. This is “one of the longest tenures of any current medical school dean in the country,” according to the MCW news release.
After serving for 11 months as the School of Medicine’s interim dean, Kerschner was named the 10th dean and executive vice president of the school in November 2011. He officially entered those roles in February 2012, according to the news release.
During his time in these leadership roles, Kerschner helped to expand the MCW’s physician education and training programs, increase the growth of the MCW’s research program, as well as lead the MCW’s community involvement through the Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment. From 2014 to 2023, NIH funding for the MCW almost doubled, according to the news release.
The MCW’s School of Medicine clinicians had more than 1.6 million inpatient and outpatient visits in 2011, according to the news release. This number rose to 4.8 million in 2023, with the inclusion of telemedicine visits, according to the news release.
“Dr. Kerschner has been a trusted thought leader and partner since I arrived at the Medical College of Wisconsin in July 2010. He has brought an infectious enthusiasm, energy and work ethic to his many roles here. He has also helped to elevate our missions, support our people, enhance our visibility – throughout the state, country and globally – and enrich our partnerships across multiple venues and entities,” said John Raymond, MCW president and CEO, in the news release.
Aside from his role as a professor, Kerschner will also “devote additional time to his research endeavors,” according to the news release. The National Institutes of Health has funded his research since 2001. Kerschner will also continue his practice at Children’s Wisconsin.
Kerschner has served as the chair of the Association of American Medical Colleges board of directors, the chair of the AAMC Council of Deans and president of the American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology, according to the news release.
Deborah Costakos, chair and professor of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, will serve as interim dean designate of the School of Medicine effective Nov. 1. She will assume the role of interim dean on Jan. 1, according to the news release.
Cheryl Maurana will serve as interim provost designate effective Nov. 1. Maurana is a MCW Eminent Scholar, the senior vice president for strategic academic partnerships, a professor of bioethics and medical humanities, as well as the founding director of the Kern National Network for Flourishing in Medicine, according to the news release.
“The entire Medical College of Wisconsin community is immensely grateful to Dr. Kerschner for his dedicated years of steadfast leadership, innumerous contributions, collegiality and unwavering commitment to MCW,” Raymond said in the news release.
