Dr. Bertha Garcia Acting Vice Dean & Director
PaLM is pleased to announce that Dr. Bertha Garcia has been appointed as Acting Vice Dean & Director, Dentistry at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, effective June 1, 2019 until May 31, 2020 or until a permanent Vice Dean & Director is selected.
Dr. Garcia will be working in this role three half days per week alongside the leadership team including the Associate and Assistant Deans, the Associate Director, as well as with faculty, staff and students. Dr. Garcia brings tremendous administrative and education experience to this role and will provide strong support, as we move forward with our continued work on the renewal for Dentistry and accreditation recommendations.
The School will be moving forward with a new search for a permanent Vice Dean & Director, as the previous search was not successful.
Dr. Garcia received her medical degree from the Cayetano Heredia University in Peru in 1972. She went on to complete her residency training in general and anatomical pathology from the University of Calgary in 1981, where she was appointed as faculty member.
She joined the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry in 1985, and held the role of Chair and City-Wide Chief for the Department and London hospitals from July 1, 2001 to June 30, 2011. She held the role of Vice Dean, Education at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry from July 1, 2008 until September 30, 2017.
During Dr. Garcia’s decanal leadership, the Distributed Medical Education program at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry developed and grew significantly leading to the establishment of the Windsor Campus, as well as numerous new partnerships and learning opportunities for students and residents. Dr. Garcia led the School in a strategic planning process for Distributed Education, which is in alignment with Schulich Medicine & Dentistry's and Western’s strategic plans. In 2015, the Undergraduate Medical Education Program received a full eight-year accreditation from the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools in collaboration with the Liaison Committee for Medical Education.
Dr. Garcia is recognized as an exceptional educator with an extraordinary passion for education. She has received numerous local and national education awards in recognition of her leadership in education including the Dean's Award of Excellence in Teaching from Schulich Medicine & Dentistry, the Edward G. Pleva Award from Western University and the OCUFA citation for outstanding contribution to University teaching.
She is also the recipient of the prestigious 3M Teaching Fellowship, which is given to individuals who demonstrate an exceptionally high-degree of leadership and commitment to the improvement of university education across disciplines.
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Garcia on her appointment.
