Chassay named associate dean for Alumni Relations
Dr. Mark Chassay is the new associate dean for Alumni Relations and assistant dean for Admissions and Student Affairs, effective March 1, 2014.
Chassay succeeds Dr. Henry Strobel, who is retiring from McGovern Medical School at the end of the fiscal year, after 42 years.
A graduate of the Medical School, Class of 1992, Chassay served as student class president. He also has been very active in the Alumni Association, with three terms as president, as well as other leadership roles.
“My memory of the Alumni Association as a student is that they would mentor students and offer us places to stay when we would travel during our residency interviews,” Chassay said. “I want to revisit that and to make sure those services are expanded.”
As a medical school student, Chassay said he had many fond memories of UTHealth. “The leather lounge is a great memory as well as orientation, match day, several of the themed parties of friendships during first and second year, and the connections with my classmates. And I can’t forget the experiences of delivering babies on my own,” he said.
With his student adviser as Dr. Stanley Schultz, Chassay also counted among his mentors Drs. John Donnelly, Grant Fowler, and Charles Stern.
In addition to his dean roles, Chassay also is serving as part of the clinical faculty at the IRONMAN Sports Medicine Institute as an assistant professor the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery.
Following medical school, Chassay completed a family medicine residency at Memorial Hermann Hospital Southwest and a primary care sports medicine fellowship at Kaiser Permanente Fontana Family Medicine Program. He received his masters of education from The University of Texas at Austin and his masters of business administration from The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School/The University of Texas at Dallas School of Management.
He previously served as the deputy executive commissioner of the Office of Health Policy and Clinical Services at the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. He also worked at The University of Texas at Austin Intercollegiate Athletics for 17 1/2 years, including six seasons as head team physician. Chassay also has volunteered for the United States Olympic Committee and has worked five international multi-sport events serving as chief medical officer three times, with the latest at the Paralympics in London.
“I returned because of my desire to get back to my home of Houston and be a part of all of the great synergies happening at UTHealth,” he said.
On the immediate horizon for the alumni office, Chassay said the office will be involved in supporting commencement and convening the Distinguished Alumnus Committee.
“On the alumni association side, we are looking for a geographically diverse board to encourage chapters in larger cities in Texas to spread friendship and scholarship,” he said.
-Darla Brown, Office of Communications, Medical School