October 25 – GRAND FORKS – Dr. Marjorie Jenkins, professor of internal medicine and former dean of the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville, has been named the new UND vice president for health affairs and dean of the School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
Jenkins, an award-winning expert in women’s health and sex- and gender-based medicine, will join Dr. succeed Joshua Wynne,
who retired
at the end of the past academic year. Her first day in this position is December 1 and her first day on campus is January 6, 2025.
“I am pleased to welcome Dr. Marjorie Jenkins to our UND community,” UND President Andrew Armacost said in a statement. “She will take on a critical role at a momentous time in our university’s history. I am so impressed by Dr. Jenkins’ commitment to serving others, and I know she will be an incredible vice president, dean and colleague.”
In her dual role, Jenkins will serve as Chief Fiduciary Officer for the UND Division of Health Affairs and Chief Academic Officer for the medical school. She will bring extensive academic, leadership and personal experience to the role, according to a university news release.
“I am deeply committed to rural health care and improving access to health care, especially for underserved communities,” said Jenkins. “Growing up in Appalachia, my family and I had very limited access to medical care. My grandfather, a preacher and miner, became the health practitioner for my widowed mother and her eight children.
“This personal experience, coupled with two decades in academic medicine at universities in Texas and South Carolina—which both face significant rural health care challenges—has fueled my passion to make a difference From my conversations on campus, it is clear that the UND community shares a strong sense of pride, passion and commitment to serving North Dakotans. I am truly honored to have been selected as your next VP and Dean am excited to embark on this journey with you.
In addition to being dean, Jenkins also served as associate provost for the University of South Carolina and as chief academic officer for Prisma Health-Upstate, a 1,600-bed nonprofit health care system, the news release said. During her time as dean, USC Greenville’s medical school received the first eight-year Liaison Committee on Medical Education accreditation, as well as the first of several grants from the National Institutes of Health. She also helped launch the school’s first three-year Primary Care Accelerated Track program to bring family medicine providers to rural South Carolina.
She spent her academic career at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, where she was the founding Executive Director and Chief Scientific Officer of the Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health Research. Under her leadership, she helped lead the institute to global recognition, the release said. During her time at Texas Tech, she held the titles of J. Avery Rush Endowed Chair for Excellence in Women’s Health Research, associate dean for Women Faculty and tenured professor of Internal Medicine, and director of Medical Initiatives and Research Programs for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Office of Women’s Health.
She received her bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Tennessee Technological University, her MD from East Tennessee State University, and her master’s degree in Education for Health Professionals from Johns Hopkins University.
Following her start date at UND, Jenkins will immediately begin preparations for the upcoming term, Armacost said. Jenkins added that she is excited to get to know the UND community and the people of Grand Forks.
“The future looks bright,” she said, “and I’m happy to be a part of it. …”
“Building on the legacy of Dr. Joshua Wynne, the School of Medicine and Health Sciences has a solid foundation and impressive momentum in innovative education, multidisciplinary research and training health care professionals in North Dakota,” she said in a statement. “As I have learned more about the rich history of the state and its people, I am confident that we will continue to expand our programs and make a significant impact both locally and nationally.”
