Kaiser’s Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine Names New Research Dean

Kaiser Permanente’s Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine in Pasadena announced the selection of a new senior associate dean for research and scholarship on Monday.

Dr. Jonathan Finkelstein will take over the position heading the Office of Research and Scholarship, replacing interim Associate Senior Dean Dr. Elizabeth McGlynn, Kaiser said in a written statement.

“As part of the school’s senior leadership team, Dr. Finkelstein will be responsible for overseeing the school’s ongoing efforts to build a robust and engaging environment in which research and scholarship by both students and faculty can thrive,” according to the statement.

Kaiser Permanente’s Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine Founding Dean and CEO Dr. Mark Schuster said Finkelstein was uniquely qualified for the role.

“Dr. Finkelstein is highly unusual in that he is a master educator, a highly accomplished researcher, and an outstanding clinician. I look forward to his joining our school’s leadership team, and fostering scholarly opportunities for our students and faculty,” Schuster said.

“I also would like to thank Dr. McGlynn for her generosity in taking on the interim role, and launching our Office of Research and Scholarship,” he added.

Finkelstein most recently served as senior vice president for safety and quality and chief patient safety and quality officer at Boston Children’s Hospital, where he completed his pediatric training after earning his M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, according to Kaiser.

“For the past 14 years, he has co-directed the Harvard-wide Pediatric Health Services Research Fellowship program, which has trained more than 140 postdoctoral fellows,” the Kaiser statement said.

“His experience also includes serving as a professor of pediatrics and of population medicine at Harvard Medical School, as well as co-directing the Clinical Epidemiology and Population Health course for nine years,” the statement added. “He has more than two decades of experience as a pediatric health services researcher and medical educator, bringing together classic research paradigms with quality improvement and implementation science methods.”

Finkelstein said he was eager to get to work in his new role.

“I am proud to join the innovative learning environment at the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine,” he said. “I have focused on the training and mentorship of the next generation of professionals throughout my career and look forward to helping students practice critical thinking, evaluate new approaches to improving health of patients and populations, and develop a passion for contributing to the field through research and scholarship.”

More information on the Kaiser’s Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine is available on the institution’s website at medschool.kp.org/homepage.