Elza Mylona, PhD, MBA, to step down as Vice Provost
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Elza Mylona, PhD, MBA, will be stepping down as Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and Institutional Effectiveness after serving nine years at EVMS. Her resignation will be effective Sept. 9.
Dr. Mylona Is leaving EVMS to assume the position of Vice Dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs with the University of Texas at Tyler.
“This is bittersweet for me as I never thought I would leave EVMS, but it is truly a unique opportunity for me to start a new medical school from scratch and influence the culture — to be the change you want to see,” D. Mylona says.
“I love EVMS," she says. "It is a real jewel in the region and in academic medicine, and I’m very proud of the tremendous work we have accomplished. I’m confident that EVMS will continue to lead and effect real change both in academic medicine and the community.”
Dr. Mylona joined EVMS in 2013 as Vice Dean of Faculty Affairs and Professional Development. In that role, she spearheaded several major initiatives including the creation of an executive committee and special annual programming for women in medicine and sciences; the development of a robust annual faculty evaluation system for senior administrators and full professors as well as an evaluation process for junior and mid-career faculty tied to promotion guidelines; the implementation of a career-development focused faculty orientation; the creation of a faculty lounge; the implementation of important updates to the faculty handbook to ensure alignment with policies and processes; and the establishment of wellness activities for faculty that resulted in the development and hiring of an institutional wellness officer as part of the Faculty Affairs team. She also worked closely with the Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion to develop annual awards and recognizing the contributions of diverse faculty members.
In 2017, Dr. Mylona was instrumental in securing a $1.3 million philanthropic gift to establish the Fine Family Academy of Educators to support, reward and mentor health science educators and advance educational scholarship — an academy for which she continues to serve as the founding director.
In 2018, Dr. Mylona was promoted to her current role as Vice Provost of Faculty Affairs and Institutional Effectiveness where she leads the offices of Faculty Affairs and Professional Development, Strategic Planning and Institutional Effectiveness. She also oversees the efforts of the Edward E. Brickell Medical Sciences Library and EVMS Continuing Medical Education.
“Dr. Mylona is a well-respected leader in academic medicine,” Alfred Abuhamad, MD, President, Provost and Dean of the School of Medicine says. “I know I am not alone when I say that her leadership and unwavering commitment to faculty development — especially the advancement of women in medicine and the health sciences — will be missed.”
Throughout her career Dr. Mylona has focused much of her attention on faculty development, especially leadership development and mentoring of women and diverse faculty. She has created longitudinal training and mentoring programs for faculty, served as a co-investigator on federally funded research projects related to faculty development and delivered more than 220 presentations. Several of Dr. Mylona’s publications have focused on the needs and vitality of academic faculty, including volunteer faculty and the role of faculty affairs offices and officers in medical education.
Dr. Mylona has served in leadership roles for a variety of professional associations and has received awards for innovation, servant leadership and institutional commitment. Currently, she serves as the Chair of the Group of Faculty Affairs, AAMC.
An interim Vice Dean is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.