Filak to Receive Award for Excellence From UC

Andrew Filak Jr., MD, senior associate dean for academic affairs at the UC College of Medicine and vice president for medical education for UC Health and associate chief of staff at UC Health University Hospital, will receive the University of Cincinnati Award for Excellence during UC’s Commencement Ceremony at 9 a.m. Saturday, June 9, 2012, in Fifth Third Arena.

The award recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to the purposes and ideals of the university.

Filak is a leader in medical education at UC. In January 2009, he was appointed as the founding chair of the College of Medicine’s newly formed Department of Medical Education. He holds academic appointments as professor of family medicine and of medical education and from August 2010 through June 2011, Filak served as interim dean of the College of Medicine and vice president for health affairs.

Under Filak’s leadership, the College of Medicine revised and implemented a four-year integrative curriculum, which began with the entering class of 2011. Medical students now receive hands-on clinical training in Year One with Day-One First Responder training and earlier training in the basics of medical history taking and physical exam skills

"Dr. Filak works tirelessly to ensure the success of our medical students and trainees in the hospital,” said Thomas Boat, MD, dean of the College of Medicine and UC vice president for health affairs. "He oversaw our college’s recent successful Liaison Committee for Medical Education accreditation process. He also has provided oversight for the successful implementation of a more integrated medical school curriculum which addresses the challenges facing new physicians and prepares them with 21st-century knowledge, skills and attitudes. Dr. Filak’s many years of leadership are especially deserving of this University of Cincinnati honor.”

In his current role as senior associate dean, Filak’s responsibilities include oversight of the Offices of Medical Education, Student Affairs and Admissions, Graduate Medical Education (GME), Continuous Professional Development, Faculty Affairs and Diversity. Filak serves as the Designated Institutional Official for GME for UC Health University Hospital/UC College of Medicine.

Filak received his medical degree from George Washington University and his training in family medicine at the University of Cincinnati, where he served as chief resident. He has a strong interest in measurement indicators for education quality and identification and utilization of outcomes measures for quality training.

He is board-certified in family medicine. Prior to returning to UC to join the family and community medicine faculty, he was in practice in a rural community in Ohio and served as medical director of a network of health centers. Upon his return, he served as director of the family medicine residency training program.

Filak continues to practice family medicine, teach medical students and residents and serve on many national, state and university committees. In 2011 he was appointed to the Advisory Panel on Medical Education of the Association of American Medical Colleges. In April 2011 he was installed as president of the Association for Hospital Medical Education.

Filak is an alumnus of the Harvard Macy Program for Leaders in Medical Education. He serves on the board of directors of the Education Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) and has been appointed as a member of the ACGME Institutional Review Committee. He was the recipient of the Educator of the Year Award from the Ohio Academy of Family Medicine in 2003 and the Parker J. Palmer Courage to Lead Award from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education in 2009.