LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — UNLV announced Dr. Marc J. Kahn as the new dean of the School of Medicine, and he officially takes his post at UNLV on April 1.
Kahn is currently a senior associate dean at Tulane University School of Medicine and was selected following a national search for the position.
"Dr. Kahn is an experienced leader and innovator who will continue the upward trajectory of our UNLV School of Medicine," said UNLV President Marta Meana. "We were extremely pleased with the high caliber of candidates who stepped forward to lead the school, which speaks to its growing positive reputation across the country."
Kahn takes over for Interim Dean Dr. John Fildes, inaugural chair of the UNLV School of Medicine Department of Surgery and world-renowned trauma surgeon.
Fildes had assumed the role in September, stepping in as Founding Dean Dr. Barbara Atkinson transitioned into an advisory leadership role with the school.
"I am very grateful to Dr. John Fildes for his steadfast leadership and for carrying our vision forward as interim dean," Meana said. "He continues to be a tremendous asset and a deeply respected professor and surgeon in our school and this community."
Kahn said he was drawn to UNLV because he believes the future of great medical education in the United States will be driven by newer medical schools that can truly innovate as they develop.
"Throughout my career, I have been passionate about developing and accessing novel programs in medical education at both the student and faculty level," he said. "The UNLV School of Medicine is in a prime position to innovate as it grows and become a national leader."
The UNLV School of Medicine, which welcomed its first class in July of 2017, now totals 180 medical students and nearly 335 residents and fellows.
At UNLV Medicine, the school's clinical arm, 150 faculty physicians see approximately 10,000 patients per month at 19 specialty medical clinics.
At UNLV, Kahn is expected to focus on developing programs that emphasize "adaptive knowledge," according to UNLV representatives.
