Prominent Academic Leader, Surgeon Joins Ohio State as College of Medicine Dean

COLUMBUS – The Ohio State University lands an internationally recognized and accomplished scholar in academic medicine and the field of vascular surgery to lead its College of Medicine, pending approval by the institution’s Board of Trustees.

Dr. K. Craig Kent will become the medical school’s 14th dean, beginning Sept. 6.

Kent comes to Ohio State from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, where he’s served as chair of the department of surgery for the past eight years, as well as the A.R. Curreri Professor of Surgery. 

“We’re excited to have Craig on board to lead and advance the College of Medicine and welcome him to our leadership team. His commitment to and excellence in all three areas of the academic health center mission – patient care, education and research – as well as his collaborative leadership style exactly match what we need for the next dean of our College of Medicine,” said Dr. Sheldon Retchin, executive vice president of health sciences and CEO of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

Prior to his time at the University of Wisconsin, Kent was the Greenberg-Starr Professor at Weill Cornell Medical College and chief of vascular services for NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and both of its major medical centers — NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. He began his career as an associate surgeon at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston in 1987 and rose to the rank of associate professor at Harvard Medical School.

“We are among the top public research universities in the nation,” said Ohio State President Dr. Michael V. Drake. ”We are dedicated to excellence in clinical care, medical education and research, and Dr. Kent is a nationally respected leader who will be a terrific addition to our team.”

                      

Kent received his medical degree from the University of California, San Francisco, where he also completed his surgical internship and residency. He was a research fellow in vascular surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and completed an endovascular fellow at the Cleveland Clinic. 

Kent has been a funded investigator for more than 25 years. His lab investigates the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying vascular disease, with the goal of identifying new therapeutic targets. He holds multiple patents for novel therapeutic approaches to treat vascular diseases and his research interests include stem cell drug delivery, tissue engineering and outcomes research. He’s received both federal and industry-sponsored research funding and is principal investigator for a T-32 Research Training Grant and a T-35 Medical Student Research Training Grant. He was previously the chair of the Bioengineering, Technology and Surgical Sciences Study Section for the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health.

“We are fortunate to have attracted Craig to Ohio State,” said Bruce McPheron, executive vice president and provost at Ohio State. “His outstanding record builds on our existing excellence in medicine. We look forward to working together to further elevate the ways we teach students and advance scholarship.”