Force School of Aerospace Medicine (USAFSAM and chair of the Office of the Dean for the 711th Human Performance Wing at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. As dean, Dr. Lazarus oversees strategy, innovation, academic partnerships, and quality assurance for seven campuses and 5,000 students annually in multiple specialties including aerospace medicine, en route care, bioenvironmental engineering, public health, and the Defense Institute for Medical Operations. In this capacity, she executed the school’s first strategic plan and has left the school through multiple “firsts” including an accreditation strategy, distance / online learning curricula, incorporation of andragogical theory, multi-pronged external partnership approach, program evaluation plan, governing advisory board formation, and academic appointment system.

As chair of the Office of the Dean, Dr. Lazarus manages a $13M budget and 60 direct reports overseeing faculty affairs for 350 academics, clinicians, and adjuncts; student affairs including student registration and logistics; curriculum and multimedia development for 87 in-residence and 34 distance-learning courses; ACGME and ACCME accreditation; research and the historic Franzello Aeromedical Library; and policies, standards, and program evaluation.

Prior to her role with USAFSAM, Dr. Lazarus was the founding curriculum director for the University of Houston College of Medicine tasked with building the first medical school in the southeast Texas region in half a century. As director, she successfully obtained SACSCOC and LCME preliminary accreditation, led the design of the school’s MD and MD/MPH curriculum, and executed all faculty development programs. She has held multiple leadership roles in the Texas Medical Center including with the Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center / Weill Cornell Medical College and the Texas Heart Institute under legendary cardiovascular surgeon Dr. Denton Cooley. Dr. Lazarus has managed complex, multi-million-dollar projects with federal agencies such as NIDDK, USDA, and NCI and academic institutions including Baylor College of Medicine, the University of Texas, and Rice University. She has also consulted in global strategic communications for Chevron.

Dr. Lazarus is an academic change agent with almost two decades of experience in higher education strategic thinking and strategic planning, instructional design, and faculty development. She has a flawless track record with accrediting bodies including SACSCOC, LCME, ACGME, and ACCME, has created 24 academic policies, and is the recipient of 21 industry awards. As a Professor of Medical Education, Dr. Lazarus has served on 29 academic committees, presented at over 40 national and international conference, and her research has been published in multiple peer-reviewed journals including Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Academic Medicine, Military Medicine, and American Journal of Distance Education.