Scott Boden, MD

Indiana University announced that it has selected Scott Boden, MD, to serve as the next dean of the IU School of Medicine.

Boden, who has worked for the past 34 years at Emory University in Atlanta, will become the 11th dean of the medical school when he officially joins IU on Sept. 8. He will succeed Dr. Jay Hess, one of the longest-serving medical school deans in the country. Hess will step down from his role in July.

Boden will also serve as executive vice president for university clinical affairs, report to IU President Pamela Whitten and serve as a member of her cabinet.

The IU School of Medicine is the largest medical school in the United States, based on its enrollment of nearly 1,500 students. It also has more than 3,500 full-time faculty members.

“I am honored to join Indiana University and the IU School of Medicine,” Dr. Boden said. “The school already stands out for its outstanding medical education, the strength of its research and its reach across the state. There is real momentum at IU and, building on the talent that already exists across the School of Medicine and its clinical partners, I believe the IU School of Medicine can stand among the very best in academic medicine while continuing to expand its impact across Indiana.”

Boden is a tenured professor, chair emeritus of orthopedic surgery and vice chair for professional development and innovation at the Emory University School of Medicine. He is also the former director of the Emory Orthopaedics and Spine Center and the first chief medical officer and chief quality officer of the Emory University Orthopaedics and Spine Hospital.

"Dr. Hess has been a great partner with ISMA during his time as Dean," Julie Reed, JD, ISMA Executive Vice President, said. "He graciously provides our Board of Trustees updates, recognizes the importance of physician, resident and medical student advocacy, has helped address the need for more physicians in the state through expanding the class sizes and residency programs, and supports our vision of making Indiana one of the best states in which to practice medicine and making Hoosiers healthier. We wish Dr. Hess well in his next chapter and look forward to working with Dr. Boden."

As dean of the IU School of Medicine, Hess is credited with overseeing several “bold initiatives” at the school, including the opening of the 326,000-square-foot Medical Education and Research Building and the launch of the IU Health Unified Medical Group, a consolidation of five separate medical groups within the IU Health network.

During his tenure, Hess recruited 26 new department chairs and increased IU School of Medicine total research funding by $300 million, to more than $500 million annually, the school said. He also raised National Institutes of Health funding from $97 million to more than $250 million, moving the school’s national rank from 42nd to 29th.

The medical school class grew by 30% under Hess and the number of residency positions statewide grew 25%.

Under Hess, the school established the Brown Center for Immunotherapy, the Vera Bradley Center for Breast Cancer Research and the Indiana Center for Musculoskeletal Health. It also launched the Engineering in Medicine Initiative with Purdue University.

Earlier this year, Hess received IBJ’s Excellence in Health Care Career Achievement Award for his impact on the medical school.