Joseph Adrian Tyndall, MD, MPH, FACEP, professor of emergency medicine and surgery, executive vice president for health services, and dean for Morehouse School of Medicine, will become the next Hal B. Jenson, MD Dean, president and CEO of Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine (WMed) on March 1, 2026.
“This opportunity to serve as WMed’s dean, president, and CEO comes at an important point in my career. My years in academic medicine have deepened my understanding of what it takes to guide an institution with clarity, purpose, and a commitment to excellence,” Dr. Tyndall said. “WMed has demonstrated what is possible when innovation, health equity, education, and community partnership work together in service of a larger mission, and that foundation speaks for itself. As we look ahead, I am committed to building on this momentum and strengthening WMed’s presence and influence locally and nationally by deepening partnerships across disciplines and institutions, expanding our research enterprise, and preparing the next generation of physicians and scientists to lead with integrity, compassion, and purpose.”
Dr. Tyndall is a nationally recognized academic leader, educator, and physician executive whose career spans more than two decades of emergency medicine clinical practice, transformative contributions to medical education, health system leadership, and emergency medicine. He has been the executive vice president for health services, and dean for Morehouse School of Medicine since July 2021 and served as a member of the Grady Memorial Hospital Corporation Board of Directors. Prior to that he was at the University of Florida (UF) from 2006 through June 2021 serving as the chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine for more than a decade before being appointed interim dean of the UF College of Medicine where he led the college through the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. During his time at Florida, he also served as associate vice president for strategic and academic affairs for UF Health, as a member of the UF Health Shands Hospital System Board of Directors, and chaired the Florida Clinical Practice Association, Florida Group Practice Association, and the UF Health Proton Therapy Institute Board of Directors. He also previously held academic appointments at State University of New York Health Science Center at Brooklyn School of Medicine, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, and New York University School of Medicine.
“We are excited to welcome Dr. Tyndall as the next Hal B. Jenson, MD Dean, president, and CEO. The WMed Board of Directors is confident his experience and vision will be invaluable in shaping WMed's next chapter,” said Russ Kavalhuna, chair of the medical school Board of Directors and president of Western Michigan University.
Dr. Tyndall’s selection follows a national search that began in February 2025 to fill the dean position that was vacated in February 2024 with the departure of the medical school’s second dean Paula M. Termuhlen, MD. Since then, Robert G. Sawyer, MD, the senior associate dean for research, has been serving as the interim dean. Hal B. Jenson, MD, MBA, WMed’s founding dean, retired in May 2021 after leading the medical school during its first 10 years.
The comprehensive and competitive search process was led by Bill Manns, a member of the WMed Board of Directors and president of Bronson Healthcare Group, who served as the chair of the 14-member dean search committee. In October, three candidates came to WMed for two-day visits that included interviews with more than 50 stakeholders, a presentation by each candidate to the medical school community, and a reception to meet some of WMed’s community partners.
“As chair of the dean search committee, I am proud to welcome Dr. Tyndall as WMed’s new dean, president, and CEO. This appointment represents our mutual commitment to medical excellence and preparing the next generation of caregivers for our communities. Dr. Tyndall brings extensive experience in academic medicine and leadership, along with proven dedication to health equity and innovation — qualities that will advance our collective missions,” Manns said.
Dr. Tyndall earned an Executive Masters of Public Health (MPH) in Health Services Management and Policy from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. He is a graduate of the University of Maryland School of Medicine and completed his emergency medicine training at the University of Maryland Medical Systems where he served as chief resident. At the age of 16, he started his undergraduate studies at George Washington University graduating with a Bachelor of Science (BS) in chemistry and a minor in music.
He is a Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians and a Diplomate of the American Board of Emergency Medicine. His research portfolio includes leadership and co-investigator roles in numerous National Institutes of Health (NIH)- and Department of Defense (DOD)-funded clinical trials, particularly in traumatic brain injury, emergency department operations, and health disparities as well as arts in health projects supported by the National Endowment of the Arts. He has authored or edited over 100 peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, and abstracts including his contributions as an editor for the Rosen’s Emergency Medicine standard reference textbook. Dr. Tyndall has been honored with the Daniel S. Blumenthal Award for Public Health, the Health Equity Leadership Award from the Association of Black Cardiologists, induction into the Gold Humanism Honor Society and the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, the Nash Carter Award from the Atlanta Medical Association as well as numerous community service awards and academic teaching honors. He has served on corporate and national boards and committees including the AAMC Council of Deans administrative board. He is the past president of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Foundation, and past president of the Florida College of Emergency Physicians. He is a frequent invited keynote speaker and has lectured extensively both nationally and internationally on topics including health equity, medical education, emergency care innovation, and leadership. Most recently, he joined the inaugural working group of the NeuroArts Academic Network (NAN), a global coalition advancing the science of arts and aesthetics in health. Launched as part of the NeuroArts Blueprint initiative, a strategic partnership between the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine’s International Arts + Mind Lab and Aspen Institute’s Health, Medicine and Society Program, NAN brings together leading universities to shape the emerging field of NeuroArts through interdisciplinary research, education, and policy innovation.