Friday, October, 21st, 2022 Speeches and Messages
October 21, 2022
Dear members of the Tufts University and Tufts Medicine communities,
We are pleased to announce that Helen Boucher, MD, FACP, FIDSA, has been named as the permanent dean of the Tufts University School of Medicine (TUSM) and chief academic officer (CAO) for Tufts Medicine, effective immediately.
Serving as the dean of TUSM and the CAO of Tufts Medicine, Helen will continue to report to the presidents—and serve on the senior leadership teams—of both organizations. She will continue to lead the effort to integrate the Tufts Medicine and TUSM research portfolios under one strategic umbrella, facilitating the integration and growth of our research enterprise. She will also have responsibility for continuing the implementation of TUSM’s priorities in becoming an anti-racist organization and in advancing its excellent teaching and research programs while focusing on faculty recruitment and support, DEIJ, and working to attract philanthropic support for key initiatives at TUSM. Helen will continue to advance our education and research capabilities throughout Tufts Medicine, supporting its journey to become a learning health system.
Helen has been serving as dean ad interim for TUSM and CAO for Tufts Medicine since July 2021 when the dual role was established to help strengthen and deepen the relationship between Tufts University and Tufts Medicine. There is no one more qualified than Helen to continue this work. Over the past 15 months, Helen has led the integration effort between the two organizations and has brought fresh vision and ingenuity to her role as dean ad interim. Helen and her teams have many accomplishments including the completion of trademark and research agreements between the university and the health system, and the development of an initial vision of an integrated research enterprise. At TUSM, she and her team have ushered in a new degree program with the launch of the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program in Phoenix—the first Tufts medical school program outside New England—and the successful accreditation of the Boston DPT program. Helen and her team have also been instrumental in partnering with colleagues at Tufts Medicine to develop new educational opportunities within the health system for TUSM students.
As a strong and effective leader who has demonstrated her ability to innovate as a founding director of the Stuart B. Levy Center for Integrated Management of Antimicrobial Resistance (Levy CIMAR), Helen has a wealth of experience to draw on in her new role. She has a history of collaborating with schools and faculty across the university and health system and remains well-positioned to advance the shared missions of our organizations. Her clinical and academic experience, including 14 years as director of Tufts Medical Center’s Infectious Diseases Fellowship Program and two years as chief of the Division of Geographic Medicine and Infectious Diseases, also provides her the background to oversee the full spectrum of physician education. Finally, her close to 30 years as a practicing physician provides her the ability to imagine and implement innovative ideas to improve the health of diverse members of our communities.
Helen earned an undergraduate degree in English from College of the Holy Cross, where she now serves as chair of the Board of Trustees, and a medical degree from the University of Texas Medical School at Houston. She is internationally known for her research on infections in immunocompromised patients and infections by S. aureus, one of the most dangerous of the staph bacteria, for which she has investigated new anti-infective agents.
Helen is the first woman to serve as the dean of TUSM in its 129-year history. We look forward to supporting her, and working with her, as the new dean of TUSM and CAO of Tufts Medicine.
Sincerely,
Anthony P. Monaco
President, Tufts University
Michael J. Dandorph
President and CEO, Tufts Medicine