Susan Murin, M.D., MSc, M.B.A., has been appointed Interim Dean for the UC Davis School of Medicine, to lead the school’s faculty recruitment, research, and education missions, and its upcoming re-accreditation by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) in early 2022.

Murin most recently served as Vice Dean for Clinical Affairs, Executive Director of the UC Davis Medical Group, and Associate Clinical Strategy Officer. She previously served as Chief of the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs and Executive Vice Chair of Internal Medicine, and Chief of the Medical Staff at UC Davis.

The appointment was made by UC Davis Chancellor Gary S. May in consultation with Vice Chancellor of Human Health Sciences and UC Davis Health CEO David Lubarsky, M.D., M.B.A.; Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Mary Croughan, Ph.D.; UC Health Executive Vice President Carrie Byington; and, after receiving input from School of Medicine department chairs, center directors, faculty, residents, staff, and students.

Murin will be relinquishing her current duties during the interim appointment.

“Susan Murin’s experience and background is what we need right now to continue our forward momentum into the coming year and beyond,” Lubarsky said. “Susan is an esteemed teacher and educational leader who has been engaged in the educational mission not just locally but nationally. Her experience in the Dean’s office, accreditation experience in GME and in her Medical Staff leadership roles will stand us in good stead as we prepare for the upcoming LCME visit, complementing the hard work of our Vice Dean of Education who is leading our re-accreditation effort. Her research background will aid her as she enables and partners effectively with our new Vice-Dean for Research to advance and grow the research mission.

“Finally, as an esteemed member of our core health system leadership team for the past several years she is well poised for a smooth transition and will immediately be an effective voice for the school in her interim Dean role. With the LCME accreditation just a few months away, an approved Clinical Strategic Plan in place, funds flow fully implemented, and a new strategy developed for the School of Medicine, our priorities and path forward are clear.  Susan’s broad understanding of academic medicine and her superior management skills are perfectly matched to the tasks ahead as we prepare to search for a permanent Dean.”

Murin is a first-generation college graduate and brings an understanding of what many of our current first-generation medical students might be facing.  Her ongoing pulmonary clinical practice has made her a vocal advocate for our clinical faculty, and she has been a leader in pushing for improvements in the daily work environment, for the benefit of practitioners, staff, and patients. Following her clinical training, Murin served as an officer in the U.S. Air Force Medical Corps and has subsequently had a long tenure at UC Davis. She has been repeatedly named to Best Doctors lists both regionally and nationally, while continuing to practice and teach at both UC Davis and the Sacramento VA Hospital. Her research has focused on two areas: epidemiology of venous thromboembolism and the effects of smoking on the natural history of breast cancer.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to serve UC Davis in this critical role,” said Murin. “I have been so fortunate to spend my entire career at UC Davis and this is a way I can give back to an institution I love. I am looking forward to working with our chairs, other leaders, faculty, staff, residents, and students to prepare for the LCME, implement our new School of Medicine and Clinical strategic plans, and build upon the recent work for curricular change and diversity, equity, and inclusion. I know my job is to lay a strong foundation for our next Dean. In the meantime, my door will be open, and I look forward to hearing from students and faculty about ways to accomplish that.”

Nationally, she has served as a member of the ACGME’s Internal Medicine RRC, a member of the ABIM Pulmonary Board, Chair of the Pulmonary Medicine test-writing committee for the ABIM, and Chair of the Association of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Program Directors. She has a long history of service to professional societies and is currently Deputy Editor of CHEST, a leading respiratory journal.

Murin received her undergraduate degree from Rutgers University and completed her medical degree at New York University School of Medicine. She did her residency in Internal Medicine at NYU-Bellevue and fellowship in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Yale University/Yale-New Haven Hospital. She subsequently received an M.Sc. in Clinical Epidemiology (with a concentration in Clinical Effectiveness) from the Harvard School of Public Health and an M.B.A. from the UC Davis Graduate School of Management.

The UC Davis School of Medicine is a nation-leading academic and medical training institution. The School is ranked 9th in the U.S. for Family Medicine, 11th in Best Medical Schools for Primary Care, and 48th in Research in the most recent U.S. News rankings. It is also ranked 4th nationally in diversity by U.S. News, and it is the top-ranked medical school for diversity on the West Coast.