Dr. John L. Dalrymple reflected on his first two and a half months as Dean and CEO of the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine (KPSOM) by praising the efforts of students, faculty, and staff to establish a world-class medical education institution in its first four-plus years, and by outlining his goals in leading the school forward.
“Let me share what I’ve learned,” Dalrymple said in a recent address to the school community. “You interact with respect, integrity, and devotion to the mission. You care about the school, you care about each other, and you unapologetically reinforce all the reasons you chose to come here and, more importantly, to stay here. You have a passion to always get better, to improve. You don’t settle for mediocre. You want to be drivers of change and strive for making our communities better, through excellence and innovation in medical education and healthcare.”
“You speak up and convey your point of view,” Dalrymple continued. “You express your curiosity and thoughts, knowing that despite our challenges or differences, we all strive for the same goal---and seek to understand and find alignment in shared goals. And you are incredibly proud to be a part of this institution. You—and really, we—are all here for the same reason, and that reason is galvanized in our bold mission: To provide a world-class medical education that ignites a passion for learning, a desire to serve, and an unwavering commitment to improve the health and well-being of patients and communities.”
An accomplished physician, medical school educator, and women’s-health expert, Dalrymple assumed his role at the helm of school on July 1 and brought a wealth of academic leadership and teaching experience, respected expertise as a practicing physician, a proven record of delivering quality medical education, and a commitment to advancing equitable healthcare. He previously served as Senior Associate Dean for Medical Education at Harvard Medical School, among other roles.
Dalrymple outlined some broad goals for the school, which opened its doors in 2020 and recently welcomed its fifth cohort, the Class of 2028. “I want [KPSOM] to have seats at the critical leadership tables nationally, to deliberate on medical education excellence, advocate for policies that make high-quality healthcare more affordable and equitable, set the standards for thought leadership in our field, and lead the transformation in medical education that is needed in this country to make high quality healthcare affordable and equitable across America,” he said.
One of Dalrymple’s first priorities is launching the creation of a brand-new strategic plan for the school. He called upon the school community to contribute to the effort. “Led by my colleagues on the Board and me, our strategic planning process will outline and refine our future aspirations, create goals, define the journey ahead, and lay out expected outcomes,” he said. “We will be asking for your [thoughts] as we proceed.”
The Dean also challenged members of the school community to share his aspiration to create a future for medical education and healthcare that is patient-centered, fair, and forward-thinking.
“Let’s all imagine a future where both medical education and healthcare are equitable, affordable, and accessible to all,” he said. “A healthcare workforce that interacts with every patient in a humble, curious way, where patients are seen, valued, and respected. Physicians who are skilled at delivering great clinical care with optimal outcomes, while establishing a landscape of support and resilience where burnout, depression, or worse, doesn’t cut short promising careers.”
“Let’s also imagine physicians who are prepared to meet a challenging future. Climate change, societal inequities, the aging of the population, gun violence, mental health, and more have become an extensive list of obstacles that are on the horizon or are already here. Physicians who are skilled and able to focus on not only the health challenges facing our communities, but also on ways to avoid those conditions when and where possible through healthcare prevention and maintaining wellness for our communities. Physician leaders who understand these challenges and advocate for changes beyond the four walls of the exam room. This is mandatory.”
Dalrymple noted that, earlier this year, the school marked several major milestones in its young history, achieving full accreditation from the Liaison Committee for Medical Education (LCME), completing its four-year curriculum cycle for the first time, and marking its first successful Match Day and the commencement ceremonies for the Class of 2024, KPSOM’s first graduating class. He also shared that, through the strategic plan, a holistic curriculum review, and other efforts, the school aims to build on these early successes of sustaining and improving its supportive structures.
“In the short time I’ve been here, I’ve already begun to share our innovative curriculum to the broader [medical education] community, and let me say: they are not only paying attention, but [are] eager to hear more---they know what I have known---that we can, and we must move the needle on medical education to better meet the needs of our future healthcare providers and ultimately, our communities.
“We are small, and we’re relatively new to the medical education scene, yet having said that, we have all the right ingredients: exceptional students, innovative curriculum, esteemed faculty, amazing staff, engaged community and dedicated partners, and [we] now have what it takes to pave the way to a brighter future.”
