Creating the BYU School of Medicine
May 15, 2026
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Financial Disclosure
Meeting Objectives
Topics
Prophetically Inspired
Design Elements
Mission Statement
The Brigham Young University School of Medicine is founded on the teachings and example of Jesus Christ, the Master Healer, and guided by the doctrine and leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We provide a spiritually grounded and scientifically rigorous education for physicians who will minister to Godās children throughout the world as healers, teachers, researchers, leaders, and disciples of Jesus Christ. We approach the practice of medicine as an opportunity to prevent and alleviate human sufferingĀ and to care for all people as fellow children of a loving God.
The Covenant Pathway
&
Temple Metaphor
"Life can only be understood backwards...but it must be lived forwards" ā SĆøren Kierkegaard 1843 journal entry
15
WORKING
GROUPS
7
MONTHS TO COMPLETE THE DCI
140+
VOLUNTEER EDUCATORS AND MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS
June 2026
LCME Site Visit
9
July
2024
Summer
2026
Fall
2024
July
2025
Spring
2026
ANNOUNCEMENT FROM FIRST PRESIDENCY
The First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced the creation of a medical school at BYU
FIRST
HIRES
Inaugural Dean Mark Ott and Managing Director of Planning Dustin Matsumori are named as the first members of School of Medicine leadership
PRELIMINARY APPLICATION SUBMISSION
With the help of ~150 people, the BYU School of Medicine submitted a preliminary accreditation application to the Liaison Committee on Medical Education
LCME SITE VISIT PREP
In preparation for the next step in the accreditation process, several key leaders and faculty members will be hired and trained through a mock site visit
CLINICAL FACULTY APPOINTMENTS
Building a base for student clinical opportunities is essential to potential future school operations
Spring
2026
LCME SITE VISIT
Two of the LCME members and a representative from the Secretariat will come to BYU to formally evaluate and assess the BYU School of Medicine program and readiness to proceed
Office of the School of Medicine
Office of Faculty
Office of Analytics and Evaluation
Office of Global Health and Humanitarian Services
Office of Academics
Office of Admissions
Office of Curriculum
Office of Student Experience and Well-being
Financial Aid
Simulation
Office of Finance and Administration
Office of Research
Office of Student Progress
Academic Advising
Career Advising
Office of Technology
Facilities
BYU School of Medicine ā Faculty
Mark Ott
Dean
Jeff Seegmiller
Senior Associate Dean
Academics
Josh Jaramillo
Associate Dean
Admissions
Lesley Gardiner
Associate Dean
Curriculum
Adam Sharp
Associate Dean
Faculty
Brett Nelson
Associate Dean
Global Health and Hum Svcs
David Roos
Associate Dean
Student Exper and Well-being
Namea Hekekia
Associate Dean
Student Progress
David Morton
Department Chair
Preparatory Learning
Brandon Webb
Associate Dean
Research
BYU School of Medicine ā Faculty
Kirk Knowlton
Department Chair
Prevent. and Restor. Care
Zach Lyman
Director
Simulation
Matt Linton
Director
Phase 1
[Name]
Director
Phase 2
Frederick Akinbo
Foundational Sciences
Medical Educator
Ryan Cordner
Thread Leader
Pathology, Pathological Physiology
Jamie Jensen
Thread Leader
Genetics & Cell Biology
Benjamin Van Tassell
Thread Leader
Pharmacology
[Name]
Director Student
Assessment
Amber Gonda
Thread Leader
Anatomy
BYU School of Medicine ā Faculty
Jayson Gifford
Course Director
Circulation & Ventilation
[Name]
Course Director
Microbes and Immunity
Rebekka Matheson
Course Director
Brain, Behav., & Movement
Parker Ballard
Course Director
Skin and Musculoskeletal
[Name]
Course Director
Nutrition, Digestion, Elimination
Cade Nylund
Course Director
Global Health & Research
Andy Smith
Course Director
Global Clinical Medicine
[Name]
Foundational Sciences
Medical Educator
[Name]
Foundational Sciences
Medical Educator
Juan Arroyo
Course Director
Reprod., Dev., & Endocrine
BYU School of Medicine ā Staff
Brian Gutierrez
Assistant Dean
Finance and Administration
Derek Wilcox
Assistant Dean
Accreditation and Quality Improv.
Caleb Frischknecht
University Counsel
Legal
Bill Holman
Director
Technology
Felicia Jones
Business Partner
Human Resources and Finance
Jessica Johson
Managing Director
External Relations
Brad Neiger
Assoc. Academic Vice President
School of Medicine Liaison
Dustin Matsumori
Managing Director
Medical School Planning
Amy Jacobsen
Administrative
Assistant
Sandy Kenyon
Administrative ļæ½Assistant
BYU School of Medicine ā Staff
Clint Payne
Director
Admissions
Jennie Parker-Ehlert
Assistant
Marketing and Admissions
[Name]
Director
Student Experience
Candilyn Newel
Director
Student Success
[Name]
Director
Curriculum Administration
[Name]
Coordinator
Admissions
[Name]
Coordinator
Admissions
[Name]
Program Manager
Simulation
[Name]
Director
Faculty Development
[Name]
Manager
Academic Technology
Medical Advisory Council
Pres. C. Shane Reese
BYU
University President
Dean Mark Ott
BYU
BYU MED Dean
Liana Au
BYU
Student Health Center
Janet Bingham
U of Arizona, George Mason,
Huntsman Cancer Foundation
David Bjorkman
U of U, Florida Atlantic
Former Dean
Ken Ehlert
Healthcare
Entrepreneur
Elissa McConkie Gifford
Church of Jesus Christ
Humanitarian Services
David Larson
Stanford
Quality Improvement
Dan Liljenquist
Intermountain Health
Chief Strategy Officer
Ray Price
University of Utah
Center for Global Surgery
Heather Bradbury
Church of Jesus Christ
Latter-day Saint Charities
Nate Richards
Intermountain Health
Utah Valley Hospital
Karyn Springer
Intermountain Health
Medical Education
Andrew Stacey
U of Washington
Ophthalmology
Randy Richardson
Creighton (AZ)
Dean
Over 100 Open Positions in 2026
Positions Open Now and Soon
Faculty
Course Directors
Clinical Clerkship Directors
Director of Faculty Development
Research and Global Health Faculty
Director of Student Assessment
Positions Open Soon
Staff
Director, Student Experience
Director, Academic Support
Director, Curriculum Administration
Coordinator, Admissions
Specialist, Admissions
Program Manager, Simulation
Manager, Academic Technology
Global Health,
Humanitarian Service,
and Research
Maternal, Newborn & Child Health
Infectious Diseases & Immunization
Sustainable Surgery & Health Systems
Non-Communicable Diseases
Working with like-minded organizations and Church Humanitarian Services to evaluate and identify initial/optimal service sites
Publish or Perish: The Research Arms Race in Residency Selection -
Brian Elliot. J Bryan Carmody: J Grad Med Educ. Oct;15(5):524ā527. doi:Ā 10.4300/JGME-D-23-00262.1
This trend would be worth celebrating if this increase in publications represented flourishing science. Yet an analysis of PubMed-indexed publications found that most medical student articles were reviews or case reports, and the majority (59%) were cited not even once.Ā Rather than scientific curiosity, the burgeoning research output by medical students is partially a consequence of the residency selection process.
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Become a research mentor
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Understanding Looking Backwards
Living Moving Forwards
Questions