Marcelle M. Willock, MD, Faculty Development Program

Photo: Marcelle Willock, MD. A light-skinned, older Black woman with light brown hair smiles and poses in the hallway of a bright, sunlit hospital. She wears a blue floral blouse, grey jacket, and black pants.

Marcelle M. Willock, MD was Emeritus Professor of Anesthesiology at the Chobanian & Avedisian SOM. A 1962 graduate of Howard University College of Medicine, she is the first African-American woman to achieve Emeritus status at the Chobanian & Avedisian SOM. Serving as Chair of Anesthesiology from 1982-98, Dr. Willock was among the first women of color to lead an academic and clinical department in the United States. After leaving the Chobanian & Avedisian SOM, Dr. Willock became the first female Dean of Charles Drew University College of Medicine and Science in Los Angeles, where she retired in 2005. An advocate for civil rights and diversity, she has collaborated with many programs addressing healthcare inequities and the fair treatment of gender, racial, and ethnic underrepresented groups in medicine.

Marcelle M. Willock, MD, Faculty Development Program (MWP) is a longitudinal leadership and career development program dedicated to Marcelle Willock. Faculty members from the BU Medical Campus (Schools of Medicine, Public Health, and Dentistry) are welcome to apply. This program provides faculty with community and a sense of belonging at BUMC. In addition, MWP helps faculty develop strategies to advance their careers and skills and navigate the complexities of academic health sciences. We strongly encourage applications from candidates who bring unique perspectives and experiences that contribute to advancing excellence in medicine and health sciences.

Program Directors: Sheila E. Chapman, MD, and Ricardo Cruz, MD, MPH.

2025-2026 Applications are open April 7th – May 26th, 2025. 

You cannot save your application once you have started it, so please prepare your answers in advance. A Word version of the application is available here. Additionally, you can find the BU CV format here.

FY26 dates are listed below.

Apply

Learning Objectives:
  • Enhance peer mentoring and sense of community among faculty members
  • Develop a better understanding of the institutional culture of BUMC
  • Enhance leadership and career development skills identified by participants as areas for development
  • Engage in meaningful discussions about the experience of navigating academic health sciences
  • Contribute to efforts to create a more diverse and inclusive environment at BUMC
Target Participants:

Faculty from the BU Medical Campus

Commitment:
  • Sessions are 1.5 hours from Oct to June on Thursdays 4:30 – 6 pm
  • Participants commit to actively participate in at least 8 of the 10 in-person sessions
  • Meet Sheila Chapman & Ricardo Cruz 2x/year for individual development planning
  • Meet Emelia Benjamin 1x/year for CV consultation
FY26 Dates:
  • October 9th, 2025
  • November 6th, 2025
  • December 4th, 2025
  • January 15th, 2026
  • February 5th, 2026
  • March 5th, 2026
  • March 26th, 2026
  • April 16th, 2026
  • May 21st, 2026
  • June 11th, 2026

BU intends that its facilities, programming and academic offerings will be accessible. Your experience in this event is important to us. If you require communication access services for the deaf or hard of hearing, or require an accommodation for another reason, please contact bumcfdd@bu.edu to discuss your needs. Please see Event Accessibility for details on accommodations.

For more information about the Marcelle M. Willock, MD, Faculty Development Program, please contact us at bumcfdd@bu.edu