The below announcement was sent to the Department of Internal Medicine earlier today by Chair & DEO Upinder Singh, MD.

I am pleased to announce that Ayotunde Dokun, MD, PhD, FACE, has accepted the role of Vice Chair for Faculty Advancement (VCFA), effective February 1. He will retain his current position of Director of the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, a leadership position he has held since he joined the University of Iowa in 2019. Dr. Dokun succeeds Christie Thomas, MBBS, who became VCFA in the summer of 2020. Over the next two promotions cycles, in the midst of COVID, Dr. Thomas helped 15 associate professors achieve promotion to full professor and 35 assistant professors to associate. The department is grateful to Dr. Thomas for his nearly six years of leadership as VCFA, his honest assessments and practical revisions of our promotions process, and for his compassionate and individual attention to each faculty member working their way through an often anxiety-inducing procedure. Dr. Thomas has generously agreed to work with Dr. Dokun in an advisory capacity through the end of March.

Dr. Dokun has a deep well of experience in helping physicians develop their careers. As division director, he has mentored many of his faculty into successful research and clinical careers, many of whom are now mentoring their own trainees and younger faculty members. He has also held many leadership roles within the National Medical Association (NMA), the largest and oldest African American physician organization dedicated to professional development and to patient advocacy. The NMA recently recognized Dr. Dokun with the 2025 Kwame Osei Mentor of the Year Award. He also lends his expertise to other national organizations including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the NIH’s National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the US Department of Health and Human Services, and the Endocrine Society. More locally, he has overseen the successful expansion of diabetes care and endocrinology care to more Iowans throughout the region and championed the successful and highly rated Weight Management Clinic at University of Iowa Health Care.

“I am honored to step into this role,” Dr. Dokun said. “The faculty promotions process is a long road and, for a new faculty member taking on a number of responsibilities all at once, often a confusing one. I hope to remove as much of the mystery as possible for faculty and to make sure they know the resources available to them at every step. I am grateful for the strong example set by Dr. Thomas in how to be a partner and guide for faculty members so that they do not feel like they have to do all this by themselves. I look forward as well to work with the college to make sure their expectations are clear and easily communicated to our department’s members.”

I have appreciated Dr. Dokun’s leadership in his division and know that as our new VCFA our faculty will have a champion to help them achieve their career goals. Please join me in congratulating Dr. Dokun on this new role and thanking Dr. Thomas for his leadership and partnership in this transition.