Sept. 20, 2011
CHARLESTON -- After a national search, Lisa Saladin, Ph.D., was recommended for and has accepted the permanent position of dean of the MUSC College of Health Professions (CHP). The appointment is contingent upon final approval of the MUSC Board of Trustees.
The dean selection committee was chaired by Darlene Shaw, Ph.D., MUSC associate provost for education and student life, and consisted of a representative group of faculty and staff members from the college as well as across the MUSC campus. With her national reputation in her academic discipline, her exemplary performance during her tenure as CHP executive associate dean and then as interim dean of the College of Health Professions this past year, a strong consensus developed amongst committee members to recommend offering the permanent position to Saladin. Among many desirable leadership qualities cited by the committee, her collaborative approach to decision-making was highlighted as having a direct and immediate impact on CHP.
"Dr. Saladin is also accorded extraordinary respect for her accomplishments as a faculty member, as evidenced by her numerous honors for her teaching at MUSC and beyond, and her national reputation in her academic discipline of physical therapy," said Mark Sothmann, Ph.D., MUSC vice-president for academic affairs and provost. "Her expertise is further evidenced in her scholarship, and through her insightful service to the College, MUSC, and on the national level. I am confident she has the skills, the demeanor, and the talent to enhance the prominence the college already enjoys. I believe it is a tribute to the College of Health Professions faculty that a rigorous national search to find the best candidate identified one of their own."
Saladin offers CHP twenty-one years of diverse and progressive experience in leadership, education and scholarship. She received her bachelor’s degree in medical rehabilitation physical therapy and a master’s of science degree in anatomy from the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Her doctor of philosophy degree in Physical Therapy was earned from Nova Southeastern University, located in Fort Lauderdale, FL.
At MUSC, she served as Director of the Physical Therapy Education Program; Chair of the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences; Chair of the Department of Health Professions, responsible for six academic divisions while simultaneously serving as Executive Academic Dean; and as Interim Dean for the last 10 months. While serving as Director of the Physical Therapy Education program, she led the design and implementation of an expansion distance education degree program for physical therapy in Greenville that incorporated the use of innovative distance education technology for delivery of the majority of the didactic curriculum. The experience led to her participation on a large training grant as the distance education content expert and to national and local presentations on the use of technology to provide distance education. Among Saladin’s numerous professional accomplishments are:
•Collaborated with two colleges to develop and implement one of the first interprofessional master’s degrees in rehabilitation sciences in the United States
•Presented on health care reform and the impact on health professions as chair of the Government Affairs Committee of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA)
•Completed a certificate in Management and Leadership in Education from Harvard University
•Awarded three University Teaching Excellence Awards
•Designated a Master Teacher by the MUSC Board of Trustees
•Recognized by the APTA as the recipient of the national Dorothy E. Baethke-Eleanor J. Carlin Award for Excellence in Academic Teaching
"MUSC is recognized as having one of the top Colleges of Health Professions in the country, with a reputation for educational excellence that is well documented and a commitment to quality clinical care and service. We've also grown our research programs exponentially during the last year with the opening of our Center for Rehabilitation Research for Neurological conditions," Saladin said. "I am honored to have been asked to provide the leadership necessary to build on these established strengths and to create novel opportunities for the College in this dynamic health care environment."
About MUSC
Founded in 1824 in Charleston, The Medical University of South Carolina is the oldest medical school in the South. Today, MUSC continues the tradition of excellence in education, research, and patient care. MUSC educates and trains more than 3,000 students and residents, and has nearly 11,000 employees, including 1,500 faculty members. As the largest non-federal employer in Charleston, the university and its affiliates have collective annual budgets in excess of $1.7 billion. MUSC operates a 750-bed medical center, which includes a nationally recognized Children's Hospital, the Ashley River Tower (cardiovascular, digestive disease, and surgical oncology), and a leading Institute of Psychiatry. For more information on academic information or clinical services, visit www.musc.edu or www.muschealth.com.
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