Alison Whelan

Alison J. Whelan, MD, is the Chief Academic Officer at the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). In this role, she leads initiatives aimed at transforming medical education and workforce preparation across the entire continuum of medical education. Her responsibilities include preparing and assisting deans, faculty leaders, educators, and future physicians to meet the challenges of 21st-century academic medicine. Dr. Whelan oversees a staff that addresses critical issues related to medical school data, administration, and operations, and supports medical school accreditation activities.123

Before joining AAMC in 2016 as Chief Medical Education Officer, Dr. Whelan was a Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. She held various educational roles there, including course director, clerkship director, curriculum dean, and the inaugural Senior Associate Dean for Education. Her academic background includes a bachelor's degree from Carleton College in 1981 and a medical degree from Washington University School of Medicine in 1986. She completed her postgraduate work and residency at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.12

Dr. Whelan is an internist and clinical geneticist who has been involved in clinical care and research. She created and managed a hereditary cancer clinic and co-directed an interdisciplinary Marfan clinic.1