Samuel Merritt College has selected John Venson, DPM, as the new dean of the California School of Podiatric Medicine, effective June 23, 2008. His appointment follows a national search that produced a strong field of candidates.
Dr. Venson will succeed Albert
Burns, DPM, who announced last spring that he will return to a full-time faculty
position at SMC after serving as dean since 2001. In his role as the new dean,
Dr. Venson will serve as the chief administrative and academic officer for CSPM,
and will provide leadership and coordination for all aspects of curricular
programming of the School. He will optimize the College's alliances with
hospitals for greater clinical clerkship and residency opportunities, promote
the growth of clinical research, and serve as the liaison between the School and
the podiatric community. The new dean will be the primary advocate for the
podiatric student.
"Samuel Merritt College is dedicated to excellence in podiatric medical education and is confident that Dr. Venson will provide the requisite leadership to achieve that vision," said SMC Provost and Academic Vice President, Scot Foster, PhD.
Since receiving his Doctor of
Podiatric Medicine in 1976, Venson has served in a variety of leadership roles
in podiatric medical education, accreditation, credentialing and management. He
currently serves as the Associate Director, Credentials at the American Board of
Podiatric Surgery located in San
Francisco. His former professional experience includes
Associate Professorship and Chair, Department of Medicine and Surgery, Scholl
College of Podiatric Medicine, Chief Operations Officer at the Weil Foot and
Ankle Institute as well as Vice President, Compliance and Operations at Thomas
White International. Dr. Venson served as President, American Board of
Podiatric Surgery in 1990.
"Dr. Venson is a frequent spokesperson for podiatric issues on local and regional media outlets and brings a wealth of experience to the College in financial management and business best practices," said Dr. Foster.
A graduate of the Illinois College of Podiatric Medicine, Dr. Venson completed a surgical residency at Thorek Hospital and Medical Center in Chicago. He has also served as a Faculty Scholar at the Harvard-Macy Institute and Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts