Joseph A. Tyndall, M.D., M.P.H., has been named to a new system-level role as associate vice president for strategic and academic affairs for UF Health, a position that sits in the Office of the Senior Vice President for Health Affairs and has responsibilities that extend across the enterprise. In addition, he will continue to serve as chair of the UF College of Medicine department of emergency medicine.

“Over the course of the past two and a half years as interim dean of the UF College of Medicine, Dr. Tyndall has demonstrated a deft approach to leadership and a keen eye for the needs of UF Health’s rapidly growing academic health center,” said David R. Nelson, M.D., senior vice president for health affairs at UF and president of UF Health.

As UF Health leaders work to advance the system’s missions in new areas of the state while amplifying its impact locally and regionally, Tyndall will help chart the course forward, working with senior leadership and in close coordination with the deans and associate deans of each of the health colleges to implement a multifaceted set of strategic initiatives.

Tyndall’s responsibilities will include advancing education and academic initiatives across the three UF Health campuses; building individual and institutional capacity through diversity and inclusion initiatives to achieve excellence, foster innovation and ensure health equity locally, nationally and globally; cultivating a climate of inclusion and innovation at UF Health by providing oversight, coordination and implementation of strategic initiatives, policies and programs that advance these principles in health, biomedical and behavioral sciences; and broadly fostering community engagement and serving as a bridge to health care communities in Gainesville, Northeast Florida and Central Florida.

A high priority in developing these initiatives is the creation of infrastructure within the Senior Vice President for Health Affairs’ office to establish collaboration and coordination across the health colleges in support of efforts to advance diversity and equity in health care and the biomedical sciences. Early areas of focus in the area of community engagement will also include collaborations with UF Health Shands to increase access to health care resources, especially in east Gainesville.

“Dr. Tyndall has a keen ability to laser in on opportunities and a phenomenal ability to build productive relationships, embracing the best in people and marshaling that in a way that inspires them to want to aim even higher. He responds to the needs and experiences of our faculty, staff, patients and other constituents with great empathy and understanding,” Nelson said.

“We are grateful to him for the exceptional service he provided while interim dean, and believe he is the perfect person for the new job of associate vice president for strategic and academic affairs, which is critical to our progress as an institution,” he said.