Dr. Erica Brownfield has been named the senior associate dean for academic affairs for the University of Georgia School of Medicine.

Brownfield comes into the new role after serving as the associate dean of medical education at Emory University for six years. While at Emory, Brownfield had oversight for both the M.D. curriculum and M.D. accreditation of the program. She also held the title of professor of medicine and was an attending physician at Grady Health System.

Before her most recent position at Emory, Brownfield served as the vice chair for education and the clerkship director in the Department of Medicine. She also served as the Emory University Senate president and chair of the Faculty Council.

Brownfield received a Bachelor of Science in biology from the University of California, Los Angeles, and earned her M.D. degree from Chicago Medical School. She then completed her internal medicine residency at Massachusetts General Hospital. Brownfield also obtained her MBA from Emory University in 2020.

Brownfield was an inaugural Woodruff Leadership Academy fellow at Emory in 2003 and completed the Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine fellowship at Drexel University in 2011.

In her new role, Brownfield will provide leadership for the planning and implementation of all components of academic affairs in the new UGA School of Medicine across undergraduate and graduate medical education. This will include oversight of accreditation, admissions, curriculum, assessment, student affairs, academic success and enrichment, faculty affairs, LCME accreditation and continuous quality improvement.

“We are so honored and excited to welcome Dr. Brownfield to the UGA School of Medicine,” said Founding Dean Dr. Shelley Nuss. “Dr. Brownfield brings years of expertise in curriculum development, student assessment, program evaluation and curriculum management for an M.D. program. She has the breadth of experience and background to seamlessly step into this role as the School of Medicine works to achieve LCME accreditation. I look forward to her leadership as we create an unparalleled experience for future medical students.”

Brownfield’s career has been decorated with numerous awards including the Dean’s Teaching Award, the Annette Bernard Outpatient Teaching Award, the Distinguished Physician Award, the Southern Society of General Internal Medicine Award for Clinician Educator of the Year and the Primary Care Clinician Teacher Award.

She has served as the primary or co-investigator on nine different grants and has authored numerous research articles, review articles and book chapters. She has also presented her work at various local, regional, national and international conferences.

“I am honored and humbled to have this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity at the new UGA School of Medicine,” said Brownfield. “My excitement is matched with a profound sense of responsibility to help shape medical education and health care in Georgia. I look forward to collaborating with the talented UGA students, faculty and staff to build something truly transformative for the state.”

Brownfield will begin her new role with the School of Medicine on Sept. 1.