The College of Health Professions has a new dean. Ahmed Radwan began his tenure March 1.
Radwan joined the University from Utica University (New York) where he was a professor of physical therapy and dean for Health Professions and Education. Prior to that he served as an associate dean at Utica University.
There were many factors that went into his move to Detroit Mercy.
“I think I was ready to take on a new challenge in my life,” Radwan said. “I was looking for a place where I could grow, a place that is committed to community engagement and has great community support. I was also looking for a faith-based institution and one that is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion.”
Detroit Mercy seemed the perfect fit, he said: “I felt that a lot of the criteria I wanted existed here.”
He said he sees great opportunities for the College of Health Professions.
“We’re doing very well here in regards to nursing education,” he said. “There are a lot of nursing programs at all levels. I’m hoping to get the non-nursing programs to be as variable as the nursing programs are.”
He will also be looking at quality control. “We need to maintain our good outcomes and improve others,” he said.
His other goal is to embrace technology in the classroom.
“The near future is all about technology,” he said. “I want to see artificial intelligence and augmented reality incorporated into our curriculum more.”
Radwan says he is committed to the professional development and mentorship of his faculty and will incorporate opportunities for that into his plans for the College.
A Certified Professional Ergonomist (CPE), Radwan is the founder and director of the Center for Ergonomic Analysis and Research (CEAR). He earned bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from Cairo University in Egypt and an MBA and doctor of physical therapy degree from Utica University.
His research interests include ergonomics and motion analysis, and he has more than 100 publications and national/international presentations in his field. He has taught in higher education for 26 years — 13 at Cairo University and 13 years at Utica University — and enjoys serving as a consultant for certain medical cases.
Radwan’s wife, Nouran, is a finance manager for the Legal Aid Society of Central New York. The couple has two sons: Mahmoud is a sophomore at Nazareth University in New York, and Aly will join his older brother at Nazareth after he graduates from high school later this year.
When he isn’t working, Radwan enjoys ping-pong and soccer.
“I like soccer,” he said. “I like playing soccer, watching soccer, coaching soccer, anything with soccer.”
He also plays a type of Franco/Arabic music on the piano: “I think I am a decent beginner with this kind of music,” he said.
Radwan takes over for Janet Baiardi, who served as interim dean of CHP. She will work over the next several weeks to support Radwan’s transition. After that, she will work with the Office of the Provost on special projects.
