WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Richard H. Dean, M.D., president emeritus of Wake Forest University Health Sciences, has been awarded the 2008 Outstanding Medical Alumnus Award from the Medical College of Virginia (MCV) Alumni Association. This award honors a graduate who is nationally recognized and acknowledged by leaders in the field of medicine as having made distinguished contributions to health care.
"I was surprised and honored to receive the award from my alma mater. I was humbled to be among the previous recipients for whom I have deep admiration," said Dean.
Dean became senior vice president of health affairs at Wake Forest University in 1997, then president and CEO of the newly formed Wake Forest University Health Sciences in 2001. He retired in 2007. During his tenure, the medical school faculty grew, clinical activities at Wake Forest Baptist more than doubled and research funding went from $98 million to approximately $200 million a year.
Dean has had a long, distinguished career as a vascular surgeon. He has been a leader in the community through numerous activities, including serving as the 2007 chairman of the Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce and as chairman of the board of the Piedmont Triad Research Park, which he led as part of an economic development program for the Triad. He has also traveled internationally as a guest lecturer, and has authored and co-authored more than 300 articles in scientific journals and medical texts.
Dean received his undergraduate degree from the Virginia Military Institute and earned his medical degree at MCV in 1968. He completed a residency in surgery at Vanderbilt University and a research fellowship in vascular surgery at Northwestern University. Dean also received an honorary doctorate degree from the Medical University of Vienna, Austria.
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