Medical School dean begins term as chair of AAMC Council of Deans H. David Wilson, dean of the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, has begun a one-year term as chair of the Council of Deans of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). He officially assumed the position during the AAMC annual meeting held recently in Washington, D.C. Wilson has been serving as chair-elect of the Council of Deans for the past year. The first North Dakota dean to serve in this position, Wilson presides over meetings of the council, which includes 126 medical school deans; chairs the administrative board, the council's governing body, and represents the deans on the AAMC executive council and its 10-member executive committee. "I feel gratified that my colleagues chose me to represent this extremely talented group," he said. "It is an honor for me, the medical school, the University and the state." Several issues, including health care reform, are important for the council to address, he said. "There are 45 million Americans without health insurance. The AAMC is a player in looking at the health care system and how it should be paid for and delivered." Wilson served as chair of the AAMC section on community-based medical schools from 2002 to 2007 and was elected to the AAMC Executive Council in 2004. He was elected to the 12-member Council of Deans Administrative Board by his peers in 2004. The AAMC is a non-profit association representing 143 accredited U.S. and Canadian medical schools; nearly 400 teaching hospitals, 98 affiliated health systems, 68 Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers, and 94 academic and scientific societies. Through these institutions and organizations, the AAMC represents 109,000 faculty members, 67,000 medical students, and 104,000 resident physicians. -- Shelley Pohlman, Asst. to the Director, Public Affairs, spohlman@medicine.nodak.edu, 701-777-4305