September 23, 2005

Dear Colleagues:

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Lisa Heiser, MA, as the Assistant Dean for Faculty Development. The new position of Assistant Dean has evolved from the recommendations of the Committee on Faculty Development and Gender (report at www.insidehopkinsmedicine.org/gender/index.cfm) and the increasing demand from department directors and faculty for programs for enhancing faculty development, mentoring, and leadership. Ms. Heiser has been the Director of the Career Management Program at the Johns Hopkins University since she first spearheaded the development of the program in 1992, and has worked closely with the School of Medicine over the last several years to support faculty development initiatives.

Ms. Heiser has provided comprehensive career development to 15,000 full-time faculty and staff members annually through her leadership of JHU's Career Management Program. With staff and adjunct faculty, she has developed and delivered over 90 courses and programs on career topics each year. At Hopkins , she initiated a university-wide mentoring program to support career development for the staff and professional development for the faculty. She was also instrumental in co-developing the Relocation and Dual Career Assistance Program to aid in the national recruitment of faculty and senior staff, and in creating new employment practices to improve recruitment and retention efforts at JHU. She has taught and coached in the university's leadership programs for the past several years. Ms. Heiser also presents and consults nationally and internationally on professional development topics and has written various guides and articles on career development over the years, including co-authoring her book Essentials of Career Interest Assessment , which was published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. in 2000.

Ms. Heiser has been recognized for her commitment to excellence in career and professional development throughout the past 25 years and most recently, she was the recipient of the National Career Development Association's Outstanding Career Practitioner Award (2005), its Maryland chapter's Outstanding Career Development Program in Higher Education Award (2002), and the first annual Women's Leadership Award from the Johns Hopkins University Women's Network (2001). She is also a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (MD) completing her graduate training in Counseling Psychology at the University of Minnesota , is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins University Fellows in Change Management Program, and is an established expert in the use of assessment tools for career and leadership development.

Ms. Heiser will join the School of Medicine in January, 2006, and in the interim is continuing her efforts at the School of Medicine working with departments to establish faculty mentoring programs, teaching in the leadership development programs, and designing and delivering professional development programs for the School of Medicine 's departments and affinity groups.

Edward D. Miller, M.D.
Dean of the Medical Faculty
CEO, Johns Hopkins Medicine