Vice Dean for Education

The University of Illinois, College of Medicine, has appointed Roy Phitayakorn, MD, MHPE, as its inaugural Vice Dean for Education.

Dr. Phitayakorn joins the University of Illinois, College of Medicine from Harvard Medical School (HMS), where he has been a full professor of surgery and the first surgeon to be promoted along the Educator pathway in the history of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). He was the inaugural Vice Chair of Education for the MGH Department of Surgery, where he oversaw the medical student programs (pre-clinical, clinical clerkship, and post-clerkship electives/subinternship), as well as the residency and fellowship programs. He is currently Co-Director of the American College of Surgeons-accredited MGH Surgery Education Research and Simulation Fellowship program and Director of the MGB DOS Medical Student Education and Chair of the HMS Surgery Education Committee. 

Dr. Phitayakorn is also a faculty member for several national medical education courses and institutions, including the Harvard Macy Institute, the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Surgeons as Educators course, the Institute of Medical Simulation, the ACS Surgical Education Principles and Practice course, the ACS Certificate in Applied Surgical Education Leadership, and the HMS Training to Teachers program in Egypt, Mongolia, and China. He was inducted into the inaugural class of the ACS Academy of Master Surgeon Educators as an Associate Member in 2018 and promoted to a full member in 2023. 

Additionally, Dr. Phitayakorn is a Commissioner for the Accreditation Council on Colleges of Medicine, which accredits medical schools in the Caribbean and the Middle East. He is also a site reviewer for the Liaison Committee of Medical Education. 

As Vice Dean for Education, Dr. Phitayakorn will be responsible for all aspects of medical education in the College of Medicine and play a key role in shaping the educational experiences of learners, trainees, and faculty.

Dr. Phitayakorn graduated Magna cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a double minor in Chemistry and Western Military History & Strategy from Allegheny College. He earned a Medical Degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He holds a Master’s in Health Professions Education with a concentration in Curriculum Development and Evaluation, Communication from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Phitayakorn completed his residency training in general surgery at Case Western Reserve University and completed clinical and research fellowships in endocrine surgery, along with a research fellowship in surgical simulation at Massachusetts General Hospital. 

Jay Torio led this search with Alice Holland and Kendra Moleé.