McGill’s Board of Governors approved the appointment of two new Deans at its meeting on Feb. 15. Both appointments were made following an extensive, international searches.
Elham Emami, a Full Professor in the Université de Montréal’s Department of Restorative Dentistry, will be the next Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry. Emami will replace Paul Allison, who has served as Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry for 10 years. Emami’s five-year, renewable term will begin on July 1.
Carola Weil, the Dean of the School of Professional and Extended Studies at American University, has been selected as the next Dean of the School of Continuing Studies. Weil will replace outgoing Dean Judith Potter, who has led the School of Continuing Studies for the past 10 years. Weil’s five-year, renewable term will also begin on July 1.
In messages to the McGill community, Provost Christopher Manfredi, expressed delight in the new appointees, who were named following the recommendations of search committees who conducted international searches for top candidates. He also thanked Deans Potter and Allison for their leadership and commitment to their respective Faculties and to the University at large.
“Dr. Emami is an internationally recognized clinical scientist who has dedicated her career to the promotion of oral health through service, education and research,” said the Provost in his message. On top of her work at the Université de Montréal, where she is Director of the school’s Oral Health and Rehabilitation Research Unit, Emami is also an adjunct professor in McGill’s Faculty of Dentistry and a research associate at the Centre de recherche du Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CRCHUM). Much of her multidisciplinary, practice-driven research is focused on three areas: prosthodontic treatments, the impact of oral health on general health, and social inequalities in rural populations.
Emami holds a PhD in biomedical science and an MSc in prosthodontic rehabilitation, both from the Université de Montréal. She completed postdoctoral research in public dental health and cancer epidemiology at, respectively, McGill and the CRCHUM. She earned her DDS at Tehran University.
“Dr. Weil brings a wealth of experience and expertise in academic management, administration and leadership,” said Manfredi. In her capacity as the inaugural Dean of the School of Professional and Extended Studies at American University, Weil oversees “the delivery of life-long experiential learning programs at all levels, from pre-collegiate to post-retirement.”
Weil earned a PhD in political science an MA and an MPM, from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a BA in history from Bryn Mawr College. Prior to joining American University, she served as Associate Dean for Planning and Strategic Initiatives at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.
Weil has held teaching and research appointments in international relations and public diplomacy at George Washington University, Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and the University of Southern California. She has also served in senior positions at the Friedrich-Ebert Foundation and the U.S. Institute of Peace, both in Washington, D.C.