Fairbrother named assistant dean
Dean of Education LaTanya Love, MD, announced that following an internal search, Hilary Fairbrother, MD, MPH, is the new assistant dean for Pre-Clerkship Education in the Office of Educational Programs, effective June 1.
A well-rounded academic leader, Fairbrother is a professor and the vice chair of education in the Department of Emergency Medicine. In this new position, she succeeds Len Cleary, PhD, who retired earlier this year.
Her experience spans the continuum of medical education, including mentoring and teaching medical students, residents, and faculty, with a particular expertise in the use of simulation in medical education. Prior to joining McGovern Medical School in 2017 as associate professor, she was the director of Simulation Education for the New York Methodist Hospital Emergency Medicine residency program. At McGovern, she has developed a longitudinal ultrasound curriculum for the pre-clerkship years, served as assistant director of the first- and second-year Doctoring courses, and has served as chair of the Comprehensive Clinical Competency Exam, which must be passed by all fourth-year medical students prior to graduation. She also leads the school’s curricular efforts around Team-Based Learning.
“Through her work in simulation and her leadership in Team-Based Learning, Dr. Fairbrother has been integral to the education of our MS1s and MS2s for several years,” said Mark Hormann, MD, vice dean for Educational Programs. “She feels the basic science portion of medical school is foundational for physicians, and she is passionate about our students’ learning experience. In this role, she will help ensure our medical students continue to receive stellar basic science training while updating our curriculum to adapt to the changing landscape of medical education.”
She is a graduate of Emory University School of Medicine and earned her master’s of public health degree from Rollins School of Public Health. She completed her emergency medicine residency at New York Methodist.
Fairbrother serves on numerous McGovern and national committees, including as a delegate of the Section Council to the AMA for the American College of Emergency Physicians and chair of the ACEP Federal Governmental Affairs Committee. She also is a McGovern Society Leader, a member of the McGovern Academy of Master Educators, a member of Alpha Omega Alpha, and a fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians. She is the 2021 winner of the American College of Emergency Medicine Council Horizon Award and the 2023 recipient of the Herbert L. and Margaret W. DuPont Master Clinical Teaching Award.
“Dr. Fairbrother excels in teaching and service, and we look forward to her leadership of our Pre-Clerkship Education,” Love said. “Please help me welcome her to this role.”