SWAGÊÓƵ

Gwen is the provost for the SWAGÊÓƵ. She joined SWAGÊÓƵ with immense experience in several leadership positions over a 24-year span at Rutgers University, where she served in multiple roles, including dean of the Rutgers School of Health Professions (SHP), associate dean for Administration at the SHP, assistant dean for Research at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School (NJMS), and director of Cancer Research Program Development and Planning at the NJMS University Hospital Cancer Center.  

With a master’s degree in medical genetics from the University of British Columbia and a doctorate in biomedical science from Rutgers School of Graduate Studies, Gwen is an accomplished scholar. Her well-funded research has made important contributions to the field of molecular oncology, and she received the Cancer Institute of New Jersey’s Gallo Award for Outstanding Research five times. In addition, her experience in strategic research leadership and management includes overseeing a large research enterprise at NJMS that included six core facilities and a portfolio of $90 million in extramural funding. She has developed and secured highly competitive NIH grant funding for novel pre- and post-doc cancer research training programs, as well as summer research exposure experiences for undergraduate and professional students.

Gwen recently led the development and publication of the new Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences Strategic Plan and was selected to chair the strategic plan implementation and assessment committee charged with shepherding the plan forward over the next five years.

Gwen is the president of the National College of Health Deans, the chair of the Marketing, Communications and Branding Strategic Planning Sub-Committee of the National Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions (ASAHP), and a member of ASAHP’s Leadership Development and Training Committee. She has authored and co-authored numerous journal articles, book chapters and abstracts.

She has a deep appreciation for the liberal arts in undergraduate education and, during her time at Rutgers, forged partnerships with liberal arts colleges, including Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences, to build joint bachelor’s degrees and articulations that capitalize on the critical skills developed through the humanities and social sciences. As a professor, she believes intensely in the art of teaching and understands that quality instruction is at the heart of educational excellence. 

In more recent years, she has served as faculty for the Rutgers Center for Organizational Leadership, where she teaches crisis communication and change management in the academic leadership program. She was the 2020 recipient of the Outstanding Leadership Award from the New Jersey Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association for her consistent community-wide communication efforts and her championing of mental health and wellness programming for faculty, professional staff, and students at Rutgers SHP during the COVID pandemic.

As a first-generation college graduate, Gwen is passionate about helping others access the opportunities that higher education has provided her and has a keen understanding of the importance of a student-centered philosophy and a community-engaged approach in higher education.