HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Dr. Darshana Shah, associate dean of faculty affairs and professional development with the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, has been selected as chair of the professional development and program subcommittee of the American Association of Medical Colleges’ Group on Faculty Affairs (GFA) committee.

The appointment follows her election as an at-large representative to the GFA’s Steering Committee earlier this year. The mission of the GFA is to build and sustain faculty vitality in medical schools and teaching hospitals.

“Dr. Shah’s commitment to guiding faculty members in their professional development and career pathways is absolutely terrific and I cannot think of a person more fitting to serve in this position,” said Dr. Joseph I. Shapiro, dean of the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine. “She is one of those individuals who always sees the glass half-full and is determined to find solutions in the complex world of medical education. We certainly are proud of her achievements, both here and on the national level.”

Shah will serve a three-year term on the committee and says she is eager to begin her new role.

“Developing programs to assist and nurture faculty is an essential component of any medical school,” Shah said. “I am thrilled to participate as a JCESOM faculty member in designing added-value programs at the national level.”

Shah is the first from Marshall to be elected to an AAMC steering committee.

In addition to her role as associate dean, Shah is a professor of pathology and is an active leader within numerous other professional and educational groups. Currently, she serves as president of the Group for Research in Pathology Education, a national organization whose purpose is to promote and facilitate excellence in pathology education.

Shah has received several teaching awards and is the faculty advisor to the JCESOM’s chapter of the Gold Humanism Honor Society, an international group dedicated to compassionate medical care.

Shah graduated from the University of Maryland with a master’s degree in microbiology and earned her doctorate in biomedical sciences at West Virginia University before completing postdoctoral research work at the JCESOM.

Date Posted: Friday, August 30, 2013