Melanie T. Cushion, PhD
If we weren't here, the latest cure may not be either.
To be a senior associate dean at UC College of Medicine takes more than just an understanding of medicines; you need to understand the international, big picture of medicine within your field. To interview senior associate deans and hear them speak with reverence of the physicians they work with is remarkable because they are in awe of the caliber of doctors that are creating today’s and tomorrow’s medicine. What becomes quickly clear is that it is a legacy of great work that stands on their shoulders – boasting numerous doctors that have not only transformed UC College of Medicine into a magnet for international excellence, but have also continued to nourish the greater Cincinnati region. Notable medicine is as much about the people practicing it, who are creating never-conceived solutions.
Melanie T. Cushion, PhD knows this firsthand. She is the senior associate dean for research at UC CoM and works with leadership across the university, as well as with the College’s clinical and research partners, to provide a different and distinct kind of care based on the unification of health care, teaching and research. She is gratified to be a part of an academic health center that conducts more research on human health and disease mechanisms that any other institution in the region, all while working with doctors and researchers on medical advancements crucial to our health and well-being. Dr. Cushion is also proud to be working on Pneumocystis pneumonia, which is one of the world’s most troubling infections that afflicts patients with faulty immune systems. Her studies provide new avenues to prevent these infections and to treat them.
What makes UC CoM special to Cushion, above other notable institutions, is its commitment to collaboration. From discovery scientists identifying new drug targets for future cures, to countless medical students, residents, fellows, nurses and staff learning best practices to evolve into our future caregivers and researchers, she recognizes it is constant collaboration that establishes UC College of Medicine as the finest environment to foster a multifaceted approach for indispensable care while cultivating our region’s best medical talent.
