The UC Riverside School of Medicine has announced a pair of new appointments to its leadership team: Joel Maurer, MD, will become the associate dean for admissions and career advising on January 15, 2024 and Michelle Porche, EdD,  will become the director, clinical faculty research development and scholarly activities on February 1, 2024.

Maurer joins UCR from the College of Human Medicine at Michigan State University, where he has served as assistant dean for admissions since 2010, and as associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology. He brings years of experience in holistic admissions and advising, and is a past Chair of the Steering Committee for the AAMC Central Region Group on Student Affairs.  

"I have been in medical school admissions for the better part of the last 18 years. It’s part of my career identity. For those of us who love admissions, it can be difficult to continue to grow professionally within academic and student affairs without completely leaving admissions. UCR presented an opportunity for me to continue my career in admissions while expanding my responsibilities beyond matriculation," he said, adding that the mission of UCR is similar to the scope and mission at MSU. "The thought of leaving my current employer for anything short of a similar mission was inconceivable to me."

He earned his BS in biology at Grinnell College, his MD at University of Nebraska College of Medicine, and completed a residency in family medicine at Middlesex Hospital in Connecticut and a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at University of Missouri Hospital and Clinics. He is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology and will hold an appointment as health sciences clinical professor in the UCR SOM Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.  

Porche comes to UCR from UC San Francisco School of Medicine, where she held several leadership roles in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, including as director of research evaluation and analysis at Zuckerberg General Hospital and as an adjunct professor of psychiatry.

In her new role at UCR, she will report to the associate dean for clinical research and will collaborate closely with the associate dean for academic affairs, the clinical department chairs, and others to provide oversight, mentorship and support to further develop clinical faculty research and scholarly activity.

"I am drawn to UC Riverside and inspired by its mission to educate and train first generation students and individuals that have been historically excluded in medicine. I know personally the challenges of being the first in one’s family to navigate higher education systems and I’m dedicated to supporting the success of all learners," she said. "I also look forward to continuing my work in adolescent and adult mental health, substance use, and disparities through community-engaged research in the Inland Empire. And finally, as a Southern California native who has spent many years in the Northeast, and then San Francisco, I’m happy to return back home to my roots. "

Porche completed her BA in philosophy at UCLA, and a MEd and EdD at Harvard University Graduate School of Education.