Dr. Susan L. Freeman Appointed Provost, Rush University

CHICAGO, Aug. 20, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Susan L. Freeman will become Rush University's provost and senior vice president, beginning October 1. Dr. Sherine Gabriel, president of Rush University, announced the appointment today.

In this role, Freeman will serve as the University's chief operating officer responsible for coordinating and overseeing the implementation of the University strategic plan and advancing its population health equity mission, while promoting integration with Rush University Medical Center and the Rush University System for Health.

"Dr. Freeman is exceptionally well suited for this role, with 20 years of physician executive experience in education, research, operations and value-based health care from large, academic, urban settings," Gabriel said.

Prior to joining Rush University, Freeman was the vice dean, health care systems, and clinical professor of medicine at Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University in Philadelphia, where she also served as the chief medical officer of the Temple University Health System and president of the Temple Center for Population Health.

She integrated and coordinated the academic mission of Temple University with the Temple University Health System from strategic, clinical and business perspectives; developed and taught new medical and graduate school curriculum; initiated inter-professional educational opportunities, oversaw graduate medical education and accreditation; and procured a number of grants focused on improving the education and health of the community. She has worked with national organizations, as well as the Pennsylvania and Philadelphia Departments of Health, to develop meaningful policies addressing health care and health care disparities.

Freeman completed both her residency in internal medicine and fellowship in endocrinology and metabolism at the Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Medicine. She holds two Master of Science degrees, in preventive and administration medicine from the University of Wisconsin - Madison, and in biochemistry from Wayne State University in Detroit. She is a graduate of Michigan State University College of Human Medicine.

A fellow of the American Association of Physician Leadership and a fellow of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, Freeman has authored papers on thyroid disease, diabetes, consumer driven health plans, patient value, the complexities of addressing food insecurity in an urban population, and health system transformation.

"I am delighted and honored to be joining Rush," Freeman says. "I was drawn to Rush by the opportunity to participate in ongoing health care transformation through innovative research and education, and the organization's focus on improving the health and well-being of its surrounding communities."

Freeman will succeed Dr. Thomas A. Deutsch, who has served in the position of provost for more than 15 years, 12 of which were concurrent with his role as the dean of Rush Medical College. Under his leadership, the University has enjoyed tremendous success, doubling the size of both the research and education missions. Deutsch is assuming a new role leading the Lean transformation of Rush that will ensure Rush's continuing success.

"I would like to thank all those who participated in selecting Dr. Freeman for the provost and senior vice president position, including Carole Browe Segal, chair of the Board of Governors, and Robert A. Wislow, vice-chair of the Board of Governors; as well as the vice-provosts; deans; Faculty Council chairs; hospital and health system leadership; and others who were generous with their time and organizational history," Gabriel said.

Carole Browe Segal described Freeman as "a proven academic and health care leader with great integrity and a deep seated commitment to furthering our values, our mission and the impact of our faculty and our students."

About Rush University

Rush University, with more than 2,500 students, is a health sciences university that comprises Rush Medical College, the College of Nursing, the College of Health Sciences and the Graduate College.

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SOURCE Rush University Medical Center

Related Links

https://www.rushu.rush.edu