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April 16, 2025
College of Medicine dean announces leadership transition
President MacKinnon pauses plan for campus health clinics
Dr. George Kikano, executive vice president for health affairs and dean of the CMU College of Medicine, has announced plans to step down from his leadership position at the university. CMU President Neil MacKinnon said he is working with Dr. Kikano on a leadership transition plan.
“Dr. Kikano has been a tremendous champion for the CMU College of Medicine over the past decade, and we are grateful for his many contributions to the field of medicine and his support for our students, faculty and staff,” MacKinnon said. Dr. Kikano joined the CMU community in April 2015 as dean of the CMU College of Medicine. In 2018, he accepted an additional appointment as vice president for health affairs, becoming executive vice president for health affairs in 2024. During his ten-year tenure, the college achieved many notable successes, including:
- Growth in the number of student applicants to the CMU College of Medicine, with more than 8,000 students applying annually.
- High match rates for College of Medicine students, including a 100% match rate in 2024.
- Increased research funding and scholarly output among College of Medicine faculty members, as well as increased private philanthropic support.
- Establishment of the CMU Rural Health Equity Institute, which seeks to expand access to health care in rural and underserved communities, and the Women and Children’s Center in Saginaw.
- Achieving LCME (Liaison Committee on Medical Education) accreditation, showing commitment to the highest standards of medical education.
- Growing and strengthening CMU’s clinical affiliations with health care providers in key markets, including the Great Lakes Bay region and in Detroit.
President MacKinnon said he is working with Dr. Kikano on the timeline for this leadership transition and has appointed Tina Thompson, Ph.D., currently senior associate dean for academic affairs, to serve as interim dean of the College of Medicine sometime later this year.
Thompson joined CMU in July 2017 and has oversight of the undergraduate medical education (UME) program, as well as student affairs and admissions. Prior to joining CMU, she was a professor and senior associate dean of academic affairs at the Mercer University School of Medicine, where she also served as director of assessment and evaluation, and as the neurology course director for 10 years. Thompson’s areas of expertise include medical school accreditation and assessment, and she brings more than 30 years of medical education experience to the role.
The university will quickly launch a national search for the next leader of the College of Medicine, MacKinnon said. CMU will release a request for proposal for search firms interested in supporting the search, and the president will appoint a search committee that will include CMU College of Medicine faculty, staff, students and community partners.
“CMU’s College of Medicine has an outstanding national reputation, and we are committed to maintaining the highest quality medical education, training and research,” MacKinnon said. “We will work closely with our health care partners, community partners and, of course, our faculty and staff, to ensure the continued strength and growth of the College.”
As part of the leadership transition, MacKinnon said that CMU also would pause its plans to consider external partners for the CMU campus health clinics. He said he is meeting with providers and staff from University Health Services to discuss the leadership change and clinical operations.
