Dean and Executive Vice President for Health Affairs

Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) has appointed Dr. Brett Kissela, MD, MS as the next Julia A. Uihlein Dean of the School of Medicine and Executive Vice President for Health Affairs effective September 1, 2026. As Dean and EVP for Health Affairs, Dr. Kissela will set and execute a strategic vision for the School of Medicine, advancing research and educational excellence and the shared goals of MCW and its affiliate partners. Dr. Kissela will also champion financial sustainability and resource stewardship, deepening community and statewide impact and engagement, while attracting, retaining, and developing top talent.

Dr. Kissela currently serves as the Executive Vice Dean of the University of Cincinnati (UC) College of Medicine and Professor of Neurology, Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Research, Chief of Research Services for UC Health, and Director of the UC Gardner Neuroscience Institute at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.

Throughout his career, Dr. Kissela has operated at the intersection of academic strategy and health‑system execution: building alignment across education, research, and clinical operations while maintaining a sustained national scholarly and service footprint. In his current executive positions Dr. Kissela has led a comprehensive transformation of the clinical research enterprise by modernizing infrastructure and streamlining operations, thereby enhancing the investigator experience. Dr. Kissela has also co-led the UC College of Medicine’s strategic plan (research pillar) and chaired its LCME Continuous Quality Improvement Committee.

Nationally, Dr. Kissela has served on the American Academy of Neurology’s (AAN) Board of Directors, currently chairing its AI workgroup, as well as the Secretary/Treasurer of the AAN Institute, which governs the public, charitable and educational affiliate of the AAN. He has received numerous honors such as the Daniel Drake Medal (UC College of Medicine’s highest honor) and the American Heart Association’s Creighton B. Wright Leadership Award.

Dr. Kissela earned his B.S. in biochemistry/molecular biology in 1991 from Marquette University and his medical degree from Washington University School of Medicine in 1995. He served an internship in internal medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin Affiliated Hospitals (1995-96), a residency in neurology at the University of Michigan Medical Center (1996-99), and a fellowship in cerebrovascular disease at UC Medical Center (1999-2000). He was a fellow with the Association of American Medical Colleges’ (AAMC) Council of Deans, Class of 2020. Additionally, Dr. Kissela earned a Master of Science degree in epidemiology from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Department of Environmental Health, in 2009.

Jamie Sands led this search with Katie White and Lily Sethares.