Selection of Medical School Deans in the US, 1954-1979

A review of biographical data of all persons who served as deans of United States medical schools from 1954 until 1979 indicated that: firstly, clinical faculty continue to dominate deanships; secondly, faculty from fields such as pathology and pharmacology that bridge the traditional dichotomy between pre-clinical and clinical faculty are increasingly being selected as deans; thirdly, clinical specialty fields in which the salaries are very high (with the notable exception of surgery) have consistently contributed few deans; lastly, being a graduate of a highly prestigious medical school is of diminishing value in affecting the likelihood that one will be appointed dean at any medical school, except at highly prestigious medical schools.