University of New England

UNECOM Dean Shannon Named AACOM President; Boyd Buser Appointed Interim Dean

After serving as University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine’s dean and vice president for health services since 1995, Stephen C. Shannon, D.O., M.P.H., is leaving the University to become president of the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM).

Dean Shannon has been chair of AACOM’s Board of Deans.  He replaces former AACOM President Douglas Wood, D.O., Ph.D., who resigned in May to become dean of the new A.T. Still University of Health Sciences Campus in Arizona. AACOM is based in Chevy Chase, Marland.

In a message to faculty and staff, Dean Shannon stated that “I have a great pride in what this school is about, what we have accomplished so far with so little, and what the future can hold for us. Over the last 10 ½  years, I have invested much of myself in this effort. Many of you have done so as well over an even longer period and I will miss working with you all. From a personal perspective, however, I look forward to my new position enabling me to work on a national level on many of the key policy issues confronting our health and public health system, medical education and the osteopathic profession.”

“While this is a great loss for us,” noted UNE President Sandra Featherman, “we are thrilled to have one of our own achieve this high national honor. His selection as AACOM president reflects very well on our medical school and the University. We will miss Dean Shannon immensely. He has been a major force in transforming a fine medical school into one on the brink of ranking with the best, anywhere. His vision and commitment to make research an integral part of the medical school culture and curriculum have taken UNECOM to the next level of excellence. He is responsible for our membership in the Maine Biomedical Research Coalition, which has reaped us hundreds of thousands of dollars in state funds. In addition, he has been a major political player in the state of Maine, serving as a tireless advocate for the College and the University.”

Dr. Shannon is a 1986 UNECOM graduate. He also earned a master’s of public health from Harvard University.

He is the immediate past president of the Maine Biomedical Research Coalition and of the Maine Center for Public Health. Dr. Shannon received the Finance Authority of Maine’s Distinguished Service Award in the Field of Higher Education in 2002 and the Dan Hanley Memorial Trust Leadership Award in 2003.

Dr. Buser has a long and distinguished history with UNECOM and the osteopathic profession at both national and state levels. He served as chair of our medical school’s Department of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine from 1986 to 1999, and as associate dean from 1999 to the present. Dr. Buser is currently third vice president and trustee of the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), and was president of the Maine Osteopathic Association from 1999-2001.

In a memo to the University Community, President Featherman described Dr. Buser as “a respected and beloved teacher, and has been a very effective fundraiser for the medical school’s new biomedical research center. We believe he is an excellent choice to ensure the continuing success of our medical school while we conduct a national search for a permanent dean,” she said. A national search has begun for Shannon’s replacement.

(Nov. 28, 2005)