Content Background

Steering Committee - GFA

The Group on Faculty Affairs Steering Committee is responsible for the leadership and management of GFA affairs and for approving all committee appointments. The Committee consists of three officers (Chair, Chair-Elect, and Immediate Past Chair) and seven at-large members. In addition, liaisons may be appointed from other AAMC Groups and Councils with approval of the Steering Committee. The Steering Committee meets twice a year and convenes monthly for conference calls. 

The Chair presides over all GFA and Steering Committee meetings, appoints committee chairs, and performs necessary duties and functions in order to provide appropriate leadership to the GFA. In the absence of the Chair, the Chair-Elect shall fulfill the functions of the Chair. 

Committee Member Roles and Expectations 

Chair

Jeffrey Lyness, MD 
Senior Associate Dean, Academic Affairs
Professor, Psychiatry and Neurology
University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry

Chair-Elect and Communications Subcommittee Chair

Elza Mylona, MD, MBA 
Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and Institutional Effectiveness
Professor of Medicine
Eastern Virginia Medical School

Past Chair and Membership & Nominating Subcommittee Chair

Patrick O. Smith, PhD, ABPP 
Chief Faculty Affairs Officer
Associate Dean, Faculty Affairs
Professor, Family Medicine
University of Mississippi School of Medicine

AAMC Director

Juan Amador, CAE  
Director, Constituent Engagement
Association of American Medical Colleges

Professional Development Subcommittee Chair

Christina Runge, PhD, CCC-A
Chief, Division of Communication Sciences
Director, Koss Cochlear Implant Program
Associate Professor
Medical College of Wisconsin

Program Planning Subcommittee Chair

Amanda Termuhlen, MD 
Associate Dean, Faculty Affairs
Professor, Clinical Pediatrics
University of Minnesota Medical School 

Research & Project Development Subcommittee Chair

Kimberly Skarupski, M.A.,  PhD 
Associate Dean, Faculty Development
Associate Professor, Department of Medicine
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Members-At-Large

Erika T. Brown, PhD 
Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Development
SACSCOC Liaison
Associate Professor, Pathology and Anatomy
Morehouse School of Medicine

Diana L. Gray, MD 
Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs
Professor, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Radiology
Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine
Assistant: Kimberly Vaninger

Kathy M. Pipitone, MS 
Director of Faculty Affairs
University of Mississippi Medical Center

Kimara Ellefson 
Senior Director Talent Strategy and Faculty Affairs
Medical College of Wisconsin
Assistant: Lynn Vircks

Jennifer Hagen, MD 
Senior Associate Dean for Faculty
University of Nevada Reno School of Medicine

Lisa D. Cain, PhD 
GFA Representative
The University of Houston Health Science Center McGovern School of Med.
Professor, Dept. of Diagnostic & Biomedical Sci.
Associate Dean for Professional Development and Faculty Affairs UTHealth School of Dentistry
Assistant: Nicole Chapman

COD Liaison

Deborah C. German, MD
Vice President for Health Affairs and Dean
University of Central Florida College of Medicine
Assistant: Mayra Pagan
Assistant: Karen Smith

CFAS Liaison

Scott D. Gitlin, MD
Associate Professor, Internal Medicine
University of Michigan Medical School