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Mayo Clinic names new Education leader
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Mayo Clinic has announced the appointment of Nneka I. Comfere, M.D., as the Juanita Kious Waugh Executive Dean of Education and dean of the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine. She succeeds Fredric Meyer, M.D., the Alfred Uihlein Family Professor of Neurologic Surgery, who served with distinguished leadership in the position for nearly 10 years.
Dr. Comfere, a member of Mayo Clinic's Board of Governors and Board of Trustees and a Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine alumna, is a physician with joint appointments in Dermatology and Laboratory Medicine and Pathology. She is a Kern Scholar alumna of the Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery research program. Dr. Comfere is division chair of Dermatopathology and Cutaneous Immunopathology in the Department of Dermatology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, and her clinical focus is the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.
"Mayo Clinic’s Education shield stands at a pivotal moment as we prepare the next generation of professionals for a rapidly evolving healthcare landscape,” says Gianrico Farrugia, M.D., Mayo Clinic president and CEO. "We look forward to Dr. Comfere’s leadership through this critical period and are deeply grateful for Dr. Meyer’s decade of impactful service, which has laid a strong foundation for the Education shield’s continued advancement."
As medical director of the Digital Health, Artificial Intelligence and Innovations (DHAI) program in Mayo Clinic's Department of Dermatology, Dr. Comfere is leading efforts to advance the application of AI within her field. She previously served on the board of directors of the American Society of Dermatopathology and is an editorial board member of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
"I'm honored to be entrusted with advancing the recruitment, training and retention of our future healthcare workforce," Dr. Comfere says. "I look forward to partnering with colleagues in the Mayo Clinic Practice and Research shields to prepare our learners to discover and deliver cures through interdisciplinary training, digital fluency and the highest standards of professionalism." Dr. Comfere will partner with John Poe, chair of Education Administration. She will begin her new role in early January.
