Rosalind Franklin University announces the appointment of its new president and CEO, Wendy Rheault, PT, PhD, FASAHP, FNAP, DipACLM, effective July 1. A national leader in health professions education reform, Dr. Rheault is the first woman president in the institution’s 107-year history.

"I am proud and humbled to lead our university in its next phase of excellence and growth," said Dr. Rheault, who has served as interim president and CEO since Jan. 1.  "I look forward to working with the Board of Trustees and many dedicated colleagues to advance the team approach to health care and research.”

In an announcement to the university, Board of Trustees Chair Frank Mynard and Vice Chair Beth Coulson cited Dr. Rheault’s deep institutional knowledge, her vision for RFU and insight into the challenges and trends facing the next generation of healthcare practitioners and biomedical professionals.

“Dr. Rheault rose to the top in our presidential search, demonstrating a spirit of innovation and values-based leadership,” Mr. Mynard and Ms. Coulson said. “She articulated a clear path for advancement that creates new avenues of opportunity for our thriving institution.”

Dr. Rheault has served the university for 38 years in numerous faculty and administrative capacities. She was instrumental in the adoption and development of RFU’s pioneering model of interprofessional education. In her role as interim president and previously as provost, she worked closely with the university’s deans and vice presidents in developing academic priorities, providing strategic direction and ensuring academic accountability. She has led the alignment of institutional priorities, including how the university trains its students and recruits and develops staff, with national goals for improving health and regional workforce needs.

She has worked to build a culture of trust and compassion both within the university and with its neighboring communities by deepening RFU’s commitment to the medically underserved through numerous initiatives, including its Community Care Connection mobile health clinic and Interprofessional Community Clinic for the uninsured.

Throughout her career, Dr. Rheault has worked to redefine health care as a team-based effort to improve the well-being of people and their communities. She led numerous curricular innovations at RFU aimed at producing professionals trained to practice in highly collaborative, interprofessional teams. She supports the university’s continued investment in simulation training, targeted faculty recruitment to help grow its research enterprise, and integrated effort to tie community service models to learning outcomes driven by the curriculum.

“Dr. Rheault has a proven record of commitment to continuous innovation in teaching and learning,” trustees Mynard and Coulson said. “She is a champion of our academic research and will work to expand our clinical and research opportunities. Her leadership gives us great confidence as we navigate the ever-changing future of education, health and science.”