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03/24/2021 08:30 AMThis summer, Dr. Phil M. Boiselle will return to the area where his academic and professional career began as he was recently appointed dean of the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University, a position he begins on July 1. It has been some time since Phil has lived in the area, but he is looking forward to a return to four seasons and New England.
“I’m very excited about returning to New England where my wife and I spent most of our lives,” says Phil, who grew up in North Carolina. “My first real experience of living on my own was in New Haven and I fell in love with the area, the natural beauty, and the history of places likes New Haven, North Haven, and other towns in the area.”
Phil came to the area to serve as chief resident at Yale University after graduating from the Duke University School of Medicine. He then had a fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital with his clinical career focusing on thoracic imaging, an area in which he is recognized as an international expert.
Phil also served as director of thoracic imaging at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School where he developed and led a nationally recognized section that was highly valued locally for its emphasis on quality and safety. He also was associate dean for academic and clinical affairs, professor of radiology, and a Rabkin Fellow in Medical Education at Harvard Medical School.
“Once I entered medical school and in subsequent training, I knew I wanted to be in academic medicine and that teaching, scholarship, and research would always be an important part of my career,” says Phil. “I had the opportunity to serve as associate dean at Harvard Medical School and that solidified serving as a dean of medical school would be a part of my future career path.”
Currently, Phil is a professor and dean of the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida, which he says is a “relatively new medical school.” Since Phil took the position, the school has enhanced its national reputation, experienced a three-fold growth in National Institute of Health research funding, expanded graduate medical education programs, achieved Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) continuing accreditation for an eight-year term, experienced substantial growth of philanthropic support, established FAU Medicine, the college’s first faculty clinical practice plan, and launched the Marcus Institute for Integrative Health at FAU Medicine.
“One thing that one often does as part of a new organization is keep you eye on other new organizations and learn about them,” says Phil. “When I learned about Netter School of Medicine, I was excited about what I heard and about the foundation for academic excellence they were building.”
While Phil is enjoying Florida’s warmer weather in the winter months, he was immediately excited by returning to four seasons with the opportunity to be dean of Quinnipiac’s Netter School of Medicine. He looks forward to bringing his experiences throughout his career to the growing school. In his research on Netter, he realized that his values would be a great fit.
“I am a very student-focused dean, so one of the things that appealed to me about Netter is the student-focused culture,” says Phil. “The faculty and staff are passionately dedicated to student success and it’s a nurturing environment that ensures all students have the ability to reach their potential.”
As dean, Phil will not only have the overall responsibility of leading all of the aspects of students’ education, including academics, clinical, and research, but also serving as a liaison between the school and the university and community partners. He has already seen the collaborative efforts among those involved.
“I enthusiastically look forward to working with President [Judy] Olian, Provost [Debra] Liebowitz, other university leaders, and the entire Netter community of learners, faculty, staff and community partners, to collaboratively lead the School of Medicine to reach new heights in the years ahead,” says Phil. “I’m really looking forward to being part of this team.”
Liebowitz is equally excited to have Phil on board. She is looking forward to him bringing his experience and skills as Netter continues to build its program.
“Phil is the ideal candidate to lead Quinnipiac Netter,” Liebowitz said in press release. “He is a dynamic leader with a distinguished reputation as a medical scholar, and a champion for diversity and inclusion as a means of achieving institutional excellence. Having trained as a chief resident at Yale, Phil has many personal and professional connections in Greater New Haven and is committed to advancing Quinnipiac Netter’s reputation for engaging students in an innovative medical curriculum that prepares the next generation of patient-centered physicians who excel in interdisciplinary medicine.”
Patient-centered medicine has become even more of a focus for Phil over the past year as he has seen the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. He notes that he has been fortunate to have had this instilled in him throughout his career with “great mentors and coaches at every step of the way.” He plans to pass this on to the students at Netter.
“From a big picture, it [the COVID-19 pandemic] reminds everyone in medical education of why we’re here and why what we do is so important,” says Phil. “It’s critical that we train the next generation of doctors to be humanistic, team-oriented, and patient-centered. That’s what Netter is all about.”
Beyond being excited about his new position at Netter, Phil is equally excited about returning to the area. He and his wife, Dr. Ellen Curtis Boiselle, have family in the New Haven area and have visited often over the years with their dog, Elliot.
As someone who “loves all forms of exercise,” one of Phil’s favorite things about the area is enjoying the outdoors and the “natural beauty of Connecticut.” He enjoys hiking at Sleeping Giant and traveling to the beaches on the shoreline and is looking to find new places to explore.
“I’m looking forward to reacquainting myself with all Connecticut has to offer,” says Phil, who met and married his wife while at Yale. “It’s a very special place for us and we love the area. It’s nice to be coming back to such a special place where we have personal and professional connections. It’s a feeling of returning and it’s an opportunity and a privilege to be able to lead Netter.”