Williamson selected as School of Health Professions Dean
By Lin Lofley
Dr. Jon Williamson, Professor of Health Care Sciences, has been named Dean of the UT Southwestern School of Health Professions.
Dr. Greg Fitz, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, Provost and Dean of the UT Southwestern Medical School, recently made the announcement, saying that Dr. Williamson is charged with better integration of “the School of Health Professions with Medical Center initiatives and departments.”
The new Dean will be expected to take the lead in “growing the school’s clinical operations, sustaining high-quality educational programs, and expanding research capacity,” Dr. Fitz said.
“That’s exactly what makes this job so attractive, and has me very excited about the future of the school,” said Dr. Williamson, who first came to the UT Southwestern campus as a postdoctoral fellow in 1992, training under Dr. Jere Mitchell, Professor of Cardiology, and now Clinical Professor of Internal Medicine and Physiology. “Dr. Fitz has expectations for bringing all the health professions in closer alignment with the other departments and thus contributing more to the mission of top-notch clinical care, world-class education, and research that is second to none.
“The School of Health Professions is in a very good position to integrate with many components of the medical center, and we can provide significant value. Our primary focus has been on education and clinical care, and we do these things well.”
Dr. Williamson earned his undergraduate degree from UT Austin in 1985, and his doctorate from UNT Health Science Center in 1992. He is a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine, a member of Alpha Eta Honor Society, and the American Physiological Society.
“Dr. Williamson and I performed research together for about 13 years, here and in Copenhagen,” Dr. Mitchell recounted. “The research we worked on involved neural control of the heart rate and blood pressure during exercise, utilizing brain imaging techniques. This work was performed under a grant that Dr. Williamson received from the National Institutes of Health.”
The School of Health Professions, housed on the West Campus, has 350 students, 69 faculty members and 65 staff spread among six degree granting programs and three school operated clinics – physical therapy, prosthetic and orthotics, and rehabilitation counseling. The school, originally named the School of Allied Health Professions, accepted its first students for the 1970-71 academic year in one post-baccalaureate internship specialty and three baccalaureate programs.
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Dr. Fitz holds the Nadine and Tom Craddick Distinguished Chair in Medical Science, and the Atticus James Gill, M.D. Chair in Medical Science.
Dr. Mitchell holds the S. Roger and Carolyn P. Horchow Chair in Cardiac Research, in Honor of Jere H. Mitchell, M.D.
Dr. Williamson holds the Stoffel/Centex Professorship in Clinical Care.
