Novak appointed to lead Educational Affairs

Dr. Maureen Novak

Dr. Bruce Kone and Dr. Kyle Rarey, interim senior associate dean for Educational Affairs, announced the appointment of Maureen Novak, M.D., as associate dean for Medical Education, filling the position vacated by Dr. Lyn Romrell who recently joined the faculty of FSU.

Novak joined the COM faculty in 1993 in the department of pediatrics. She has been the director of the Adolescent/Young Adult Program since 1997, the pediatric clerkship director since 2001, and director of the pediatric residency program and vice chair for education in the department of pediatrics since 2004.

“Dr. Novak brings a wealth of outstanding leadership and achievement in education to this position,” Kone said. “She has tremendous passion, leadership and vision. She also is the very rare educational leader who has experience across the continuum of medical education as a medical student clerkship director, a residency program director, and a vice chair for education.

Her unique combination of experiences complements that of Dr. Rarey, the other educational deans, and me as we continually work to make our outstanding medical education programs even better.”

Novak has been a member of the Curriculum Committee for the past three years, and a a member of the evaluation subcommittee since 2003. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Ambulatory Pediatric Association, and the Society for Adolescent Medicine. She is a delegate to the Council on Medical Student Education in Pediatrics. She received the Outstanding Faculty Award, Department of Pediatrics, in 2001, was named an Exemplary Teacher in the UFCOM in 2003 and 2007, and named the 2006-2007 Clinical Science Teacher of the Year for our College. She will be inducted into the Society of Teaching Scholars later this month.

Novak received her undergraduate degree from Princeton University and her M.D. from Northwestern University. She completed her internship, residency, and chief residency in pediatrics at the University of Rochester, where she was named “Outstanding House Officer in Pediatrics” twice. She then completed a fellowship in pediatric infectious diseases at Columbia University.

“She is an outstanding role model for all medical students and physicians,” Kone continued. “I personally admire Dr. Novak a great deal, and very much look forward to working with her to move our College forward.”