Gladys M. Ayala, MD, who has served as vice dean and professor of medicine at NYU Long Island School of Medicine, today becomes the school’s new dean.

“At NYU Long Island School of Medicine, we have a unique opportunity to train the next generation of primary care physicians with excellence in clinical skills, along with the skills to address healthcare disparities; and we do it in three years,” says Dr. Ayala. “In this exciting new chapter, I will continue to work collaboratively with the faculty and educational leaders to advance medical education through innovation that will shape the physicians of tomorrow and enhance the care delivered to patients.”

Dr. Ayala’s appointment follows the retirement of the school’s founding dean, Steven P. Shelov, MD. She has led MD curriculum development and implementation and oversaw the areas of MD admissions and the Office of Students and Diversity at NYU Long Island School of Medicine since 2018. As vice dean, she also led the school’s latest strategic planning process that will focus on four main goals: advancing medical education, developing a diverse workforce, deepening community engagement to promote health equity, and expanding population health and health systems research on campus.

Dr. Ayala’s career in medical education spans more than 25 years, and she has initiated numerous programs for medical students to enhance their medical school experience. She has taught medical students in New York State about the principles of primary care, history, and clinical skills since 1994 and is passionate about the impact that primary care doctors who are trained in cultural competency can have on the health and wellness of communities denied health equity.

Before coming to NYU Long Island School of Medicine, Dr. Ayala was the vice chancellor for university student affairs and interim vice dean at New York Medical College’s School of Medicine in Valhalla, New York. A native New Yorker, she received her doctorate in medicine from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in 1986 and her master’s in public health from Columbia University in 2007.

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