By Pete Woody

John E. Delzell, Jr., M.D., MSPH, MBA, FAAFP, has been named the new senior associate dean for Graduate Medical Education (GME) for the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine and Designated Institutional Officer (DIO) for VCU Health. Delzell is an experienced educational leader and hospital administrator, and he will begin his new role on March 29. He succeeds Brian Aboff, M.D., who has served in the role with distinction since 2017. 
 
In this role, Delzell will serve as the primary institutional liaison with the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and provide oversight for all VCU Health’s graduate medical education residency and fellowship programs. He will organize resources to ensure that the institution offers high-quality training opportunities in all programs while developing and overseeing institutional initiatives to support the well-being of residents and fellows.  
 
“We are very grateful to Dr. Aboff for his years of distinguished service as our Graduate Medical Education senior associate dean, and sad to lose him to a well-deserved retirement,” said Stephen L. Kates, M.D., interim dean of the School of Medicine. “As part of this transition, we are fortunate and pleased to welcome Dr. Delzell to fill the critically important role of overseeing training of our staff. I’m confident Dr. Delzell’s decades of experience in academic medicine, accomplished clinical practice foundation and established record of service in health system and medical education leadership roles will advance our goal of producing VCU’s next generation of outstanding physicians.” 
 
Delzell holds family medicine certification from the American Board of Family Medicine and will maintain a clinical practice in family medicine. His faculty appointment will be in the Department of Family Medicine and Population Health. 
 
“Throughout his career, Dr. Delzell has taken an active role as a faculty senate member and on hospital and university committees, including serving as chair of committees on promotions, admissions, academics and GMEC,” said Heather Masters, M.D., MSHA, SFHM, FACP, chief medical officer of VCU Medical Center and associate dean for clinical activities at VCU School of Medicine. “Dr. Delzell’s commitment to combining clinical knowledge with organizational strategy and ensuring impactful outcomes for patients, clinicians and the communities we serve makes him an ideal fit for this role.” 
 
Delzell has 30 years of experience in academic medicine and 12 years of experience in health system leadership. He joins VCU Health from Northeast Georgia Health System in Gainesville, Georgia, where he most recently served as vice president of medical education and DIO.  
 
In these roles, he led the accreditation of six new core residency programs and five new fellowship programs, while building an administrative staff focused on learner wellness, educational outcomes and faculty development, research, scholarship and quality improvement. His work in these areas helped to strengthen institutional foundations and drive sustainable improvements. 
 
Prior to Northeast Georgia Health System, Delzell held leadership and medical education roles at Broward Health in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine at Florida International University in Miami, the University of Kansas Medical Center and the University of Tennessee School of Medicine.  
 
Delzell has served in a variety of organizations, including as associate medical editor for the American Academy of Family Physicians since 2008. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in biology from Baylor University, a Doctor of Medicine degree and a Master of Science in public health from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a Master of Business Administration from Auburn University. 

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