GRAND FORKS—Dr. Marjorie Jenkins, professor of internal medicine and former dean of the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville, has been named UND’s new vice president for health affairs and dean of the School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

Jenkins, an award-winning expert in women’s health and sex and gender-based medicine, will succeed Dr. Joshua Wynne,

who retired

at the end of the last academic year. Her first day in the role will be December 1 and her first day on campus will be January 6, 2025.

“I am pleased to welcome Dr. Marjorie Jenkins to our UND community,” UND President Andrew Armacost said in a statement. “She will take on a critical role at a significant time in our university’s history. I have been so impressed by Dr. Jenkins’ dedication to serving others, and I know she will be an incredible vice president, dean and colleague.”

In his dual role, Jenkins will serve as both chief fiduciary officer for UND’s Department of Health Affairs and chief academic officer for the School of Medicine. She will bring extensive academic, leadership and personal experience to the role, according to a release from the university.

“I am deeply committed to rural health and improving access to health care, especially for underserved communities,” Jenkins said. “Growing up in Appalachia, my family and I had very limited access to health care. My grandfather, a pastor and coal miner, became a health expert for my widow and her eight children.

“This personal experience, combined with two decades in academic medicine at universities in Texas and South Carolina — both of which face significant health challenges in rural areas — has fueled my passion to make a difference. In my conversations on campus, it’s clear that UND community share a strong sense of pride, passion and dedication to serving North Dakotans. I am truly honored to have been selected as your next VP and Dean, and I am excited to embark on this journey with you.”

In addition to deanship, Jenkins also served as associate provost for the University of South Carolina and chief academic officer for Prisma Health-Upstate, a 1,600-bed nonprofit health care system, the release said. During her tenure as dean, USC Greenville Medical School received its first eight-year Joint Committee on Medical Education accreditation as well as the first of several grants from the National Institutes of Health. She also helped launch the school’s first three-year Primary Care Accelerated Track program to bring family medicine practitioners to rural South Carolina.

She spent her academic career at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, where she was the founding executive director and chief scientific officer of the Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health Research. During her leadership, she helped steer the institute to global recognition, the press release said. During her time at Texas Tech, she held the titles of J. Avery Rush Endowed Chair for Excellence in Women’s Health Research, Associate Dean of Women’s Faculty and Tenured Professor of Internal Medicine and Director of Medical Initiatives and Research Programs for the US Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Women’s Health.

She earned her BS in Chemical Engineering from Tennessee Technological University, her MD at East Tennessee State University, and her MA in Education for Health Professionals at Johns Hopkins University.

Upon her start date at UND, Jenkins will immediately begin preparations for the upcoming legislative session, Armacost said. Jenkins added that she is excited to get to know the UND community and the people of Grand Forks.

“The future is bright,” she said, “and I’m excited to be a part of it…”

“Building on Dr. Joshua Wynne’s legacy, the School of Medicine and Health Sciences has a solid foundation and impressive momentum in innovative education, interdisciplinary research and health care professional training in North Dakota,” she said in a statement. “As I learn more about the state’s rich history and its people, I am confident that we will continue to grow our programs and make a significant impact both locally and nationally.”

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