{"id":130161,"date":"2025-02-04T14:15:50","date_gmt":"2025-02-04T19:15:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/camed\/?post_type=bu-article&p=130161"},"modified":"2025-04-18T13:08:53","modified_gmt":"2025-04-18T17:08:53","slug":"karen-antman-stepping-down-as-bus-medical-school-dean-and-medical-campus-provost","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/camed\/medicine\/articles\/2025\/karen-antman-stepping-down-as-bus-medical-school-dean-and-medical-campus-provost\/","title":{"rendered":"Karen Antman Stepping Down as BU\u2019s Medical School Dean and Medical Campus Provost"},"content":{"rendered":"\t
\n\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\"Karen\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCampus News<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tKaren Antman Stepping Down as BU\u2019s Medical School Dean and Medical Campus Provost\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Transformational leader oversaw new facilities and faculty & a new school name.<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n
\n\t
\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t0<\/span><\/span><\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\tTwitter<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\tFacebook<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\n

Karen Antman, who led two transformative decades as dean of Boston University\u2019s Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine and provost of the Medical Campus, has announced plans to step down from those roles and return to the faculty at BU\u2019s medical school as a professor of medicine when her successor is named. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Antman, a leading expert on breast cancer, mesotheliomas, and sarcomas, also presided over the construction of BU\u2019s first medical student residence, throwing an affordable housing lifeline to students facing medical education bills. Antman oversaw the naming of the medical school in 2022 following a staggering $100 million gift from alum and philanthropist Edward Avedisian (CFA\u201959,\u201961, Hon.\u201922). She has led the Medical Campus since 2005 and says the pending inauguration of a fellow physician, Melissa Gilliam, as the new University president helped prompt her to step down from leadership. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA new president\u2014an MD\u2014should pick their own new dean for the medical school,\u201d Antman said. She also wants to spend more time with her family. \u201cI plan to take a sabbatical. After a real vacation, I plan to collaboratively write infrastructure grants\u201d for the medical school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kenneth Freeman, former BU president ad interim, said information about appointing her successor will be forthcoming in the next several months. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDr. Antman\u2019s energetic leadership over the last 19 years has fostered a culture of excellence,\u201d Freeman said, adding that under her leadership, the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine \u201chas gained in reputation and attracts outstanding faculty, staff, and students.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDr. Antman has been consistently committed to facilitating faculty and student research,\u201d he added. \u201cFaculty members have particularly appreciated the establishment of the Proposal Development office, which assists faculty in writing grants.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Robert Brown, BU president emeritus, who worked closely with Antman during his 18-year tenure, said she \u201chas been a wonderful leader of our medical school, demonstrating time and again her unwavering commitment to our medical students and the quality of their education. Her work has been recognized nationally, and she leaves the school well positioned to excel.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/figure>
<\/div><\/div>
Karen hired me 10 years ago and over this decade, I\u2019ve had the privilege of learning many things from her\u2014like why use 10 words when one will do, short bullets not long paragraphs, select the right font, do not use CAPS on slides or reports, run it by legal counsel, and make sure you know the policy and follow it to the letter.\u00a0But what I really learned is what \u2018collaborative leadership\u2019 looks like. I learned that questions are good and encouraged and will be answered with patience fueled by her sincere desire to share knowledge and skill. Differing views are valued and encouraged. I deeply admire her sense of fairness and her ability to make impossibly hard decisions and saw what integrity in action looks like, with 100% commitment to the students.\u00a0At the end of the day, the bottom line is that it is never about Karen herself; she is all about supporting the success of others and making the school better. And that is exactly what she has done. With deep admiration, thank you, Karen.<\/div>