Joel Purkiss, PhD, is set to join the UC Riverside School of Medicine as associate dean for Assessment and Evaluation, effective July 17, 2023. He will also have an appointment as health sciences associate clinical professor in the Department of Family Medicine.
Purkiss comes to UCR from the Baylor College of Medicine where he was the assistant dean of educational evaluation, assessment and research.
"We are delighted to welcome Dr. Joel Purkiss to the UC Riverside School of Medicine," said Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences and the Mark and Pam Rubin Dean Deborah Deas, MD, MPH. "His extensive experience and practical skills in assessing, evaluating, and fostering research in medical education will be valuable assets in our efforts towards continuous quality improvement, compliance, and informed decision-making in medical education."
"Following all my meetings with UC Riverside School of Medicine faculty, staff and senior leadership, and given all the information I was able to review about the school, I can say that I have never seen an institution with such a clear sense of mission and purpose," Purkiss said. "I truly see it as an honor and privilege for me to contribute to the medical education of students at a school with significant emphasis on provision of care, and improvement of health, in underserved areas. I look forward to collaborating with my new colleagues on the enhancement of program evaluation processes and trainee assessment strategies, and to working with them on the goal of fostering ongoing improvements in medical student outcomes."
Purkiss has more than fifteen years of experience in higher education evaluation, assessment, and research. He brings with him extensive hands-on and leadership experience in curricular and teaching evaluation. He also possesses practical experience in statistical analysis, survey methodology, and other research methods, as well as in reporting to enable CQI, compliance, and administrative decision making.
He received his BS in sociology and statistics from Grand Valley State University and earned his PhD in sociology from the University of Michigan.
His scholarly work focuses on topics such as evaluation of curricular innovations, examination of student study strategies and outcomes, and the effects of learning environment factors such as student diversity, equity, and interprofessional education. He has also been highly engaged in fostering the success of other faculty and trainees in pursuing education research.
