I am pleased to announce my recommendation of Joyce deJong (pronounced dee-young), D.O., for the position of Dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. deJong’s appointment is subject to approval by the MSU Board of Trustees during its next regularly scheduled meeting in December.
Dr. deJong is a nationally recognized forensic pathologist, most recently serving as professor and founding chair of the Department of Pathology at Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine. She has also served as Forensic Pathologist for the Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services since 1997.Finding creative solutions to problems has been a focus of Dr. deJong’s career, from participating in the design of the school, developing curriculum, and recruiting faculty, to her work to develop a donor program and anatomy resource program for teaching and research. Developing a research mission for the Department of Forensic Pathology to ensure it aligned with clinical work was a priority for Dr. deJong, and, given the lack of traditional NIH (National Institutes of Health) funding opportunities, she sought and secured funding from multiple sources.
Dr. deJong was previously the Medical Director of Forensic Pathology at Sparrow Hospital, where she met the challenge of overseeing a rapidly growing department serving multiple counties. She has also made significant contributions to disaster response and mass fatality management. Deploying multiple times with the federal government to various catastrophic events, including 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, and the earthquake in Haiti, she has actively demonstrated her commitment to serving humanity in times of crisis. Her experiences in Haiti profoundly influenced her perspective on healthcare and further solidified her dedication to promoting health equity. Dr. deJong is committed to service and finding solutions to issues facing communities. As a medical examiner in 12 counties, Dr. deJong’s witness of poor care and mistreatment of the elderly led her to work on the development of multiple elder death review teams with funding from the State of Michigan through the Prevent Elder and Vulnerable Adult Abuse, Exploitation, Neglect Today (PREVNT) program.
As the President of the National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME), Dr. deJong made history as the first osteopathic physician to lead this esteemed organization. This milestone achievement, highlighted during her acceptance speech, is just one example of her commitment to promoting osteopathic principles within forensic pathology.
Dr. deJong holds a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences from Grand Valley State University. She earned a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, completed her anatomic pathology residency at Grand Rapids Area Medical Education Consortium/Michigan State University, and forensic pathology fellowship at Emory University and Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office.
I am so grateful to the search committee. I am so grateful to the faculty, the students, the staff, and the alumni of the College of Osteopathic Medicine and everyone who took part in the process by attending interviews and presentations and giving their time and feedback. I am also so grateful to the search committee chair, Dr. Terrie Taylor, for her commitment to the inclusion of the college community in this process.
Please also join me in thanking our current dean, Andrea Amalfitano. His courage, commitment, and vision allowed the college to navigate challenges and to excel. It is the resultant excellence of the college, and its many domains of impact, that made this position sought after by the top leaders in the profession. The college, health sciences, MSU, and the many communities we serve are indebted to Dr. Amalfitano for his service to the college during the past five years.
I look forward to Dr. deJong leading the college in its mission to provide world-class, osteopathic, student-centered graduate and medical education and research in order to foster community access to patient-centered medical care.
Please join me in welcoming and celebrating Dr. Joyce deJong as Dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Norman J. Beauchamp Jr., M.D., M.H.S.
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences
healthsciences.msu.edu