Farzaneh Sorond, MD, PhD, chief of Stroke and Neurocritical Care and vice chair for Faculty Development and Education in the Ken & Ruth Davee Department of Neurology, has been named the new associate dean for Faculty Development at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
“Dr. Sorond is an accomplished clinician, educator and investigator who has had success developing new approaches to faculty career development in her role as vice chair for Faculty Development and Education in the Department of Neurology,” said William Lowe, Jr, MD, vice dean for Academic Affairs, the Thomas D. Spies Professor of Genetic Metabolism and a professor of Medicine in the Division of Endocrinology. “She will be a tremendous asset to our efforts to develop new programs to promote the career development of our faculty at the Feinberg School of Medicine, especially clinician educators.”
Sorond earned her MD and PhD from the Baylor College of Medicine in 1995, followed by a residency at Harvard-Longwood and a fellowship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Starting as an instructor, she climbed the ranks at Harvard Medical School, eventually serving as an associate professor while directing the Cerebrovascular Laboratory and participating in several research grants.
In 2015, Sorond joined Feinberg, where she has played an important role in developing clinical programs in the Department of Neurology. In addition, she has concentrated on the career development of faculty members in the department while also carrying out a research program focused on the association between cerebral blood flow regulation, structural changes in the brain and clinical outcomes of cerebrovascular injury.
In her new role, Sorond will lead the development and coordination of programs to enhance faculty career development and mentoring, with a major focus on clinician-educators. She will also serve as a liaison with faculty organizations.
“I look forward to this unique opportunity to work with existing talent across the institution and contribute more broadly to the career development of our faculty,” said Sorond, who is also a professor of Neurology.
Sorond succeeds Linda Van Horn, PhD, RD, chief of Nutrition and professor of Preventive Medicine, who is stepping down after 13 years to focus on her research program in nutrition, cardiovascular epidemiology and obesity prevention. During her tenure, Van Horn was instrumental in school-wide efforts to enhance mentoring of junior faculty members and played an important role in organizations such as the Women Faculty Organization and Medical Faculty Council.