Meet the Associate Dean

Donald Girard, MD, Associate Dean of Graduate Medical Education and Continuing Medical Education, and the J.S. "Dutch" Reinschmidt Professorship for Medical Education. is one of Oregon's leaders in physician wellness, workforce and education.  As head of the medical schools' robust residency programs, he is also an active participant in the national effort to develop innovative ways of regionalizing Graduate Medical Education.

In addition to maintaining a busy internal medicine clinical practice and serving as Associate Dean, his service has included president of the Association of Program Directors in Internal Medicine, Oregon Governor for the American College of Physicians (ACP), president of the Medical Society of Metropolitan Portland, and member of the executive committee of the Oregon Medical Association. He also chaired the planning committee for the ACP's national annual session and served on a number of task forces for the Association of American Medical Colleges. In 2008 he was appointed to the Oregon Medical Board.

Dr. Girard completed a residency in internal medicine at what was then known as the University of Oregon Medical School and Affiliated VA Hospital, later to become OHSU. He is also a Professor in the Department of Medicine and has balanced his commitment to academic medicine with his own practice in internal medicine.

In his role as Associate Dean, Dr. Girard helps residency programs prepare for site visits by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education or other accrediting bodies/boards specific to respective programs. He is in regular contact with program directors about their residency programs, and involved in creating new or expanded programs. Dr. Girard is a resource for residents who want to discuss their programs or have specific concerns. "I consider it a special opportunity to be involved with young people in medicine."