WWAMI students say College of Health removals threaten their program

Last month, the dean removed two division heads who had been critical of him. Medical students told the UW Board of Trustees they’re now worried about the future and reputation of their program.

UW’s College of Health Sciences. // Photo: Ashton Hacke

Amid an aggressive reorganization of their college, student leaders say the university’s actions have threatened the reputation of its WWAMI medical education program.

The Medical Student Association brought this concern to the University of Wyoming Board of Trustees last week, calling out what they saw as a lack of institutional response to what’s been happening in the College of Health Sciences.

“The leadership of our university and the legislators of our state often tout the merits of this program,” MSA President Casey Pikla said. “And that is why the prior five weeks, following the removal of our director, has felt so incongruous.”

In the summer of 2022, the College of Health Sciences found a new dean in Jacob Warren, an epidemiologist who had previously run a university-based rural health center in Georgia. Less than a year-and-a-half later, the UW College of Health Sciences has seen significant shake-ups.

In a letter calling for a formal resolution process, faculty and staff accused the dean of running the college as an authoritarian — creating a culture where most did not feel comfortable speaking out — and of using his position to benefit his spouse, who is also an administrator at UW. The letter further alleges that Warren lost more than $10 million in grant funding by altering grant proposals before submission.

A university spokesman told the Laramie Reporter the letter contains “numerous inaccuracies and falsehoods, some of which improperly impugn the integrity of Dean Warren and others.”

But Warren has also forced out two of the college’s seven division leaders, including the longtime director of the Wyoming Institute for Disabilities, Sandy Root-Elledge, and the director of the WWAMI medical education program, Brant Schumaker.

Pikla told the trustees Thursday these sudden removals have left the college reeling.

“I must emphasize the degree to which trust in the leadership of our program and its continued success have been eroded,” he said. “How Jacob Warren’s decision to seek Dr. Schumaker’s resignation was executed — and the subsequent lack of communication with students — has cultivated dismay, frustration and uncertainty.”

The chaos at the top has trickled down into the classroom, Pikla said.

“In addition to mastering complex neuroanatomy, cataloging the numerous organisms that contribute to infectious disease, and managing the standard dose of stress that comes with succeeding in medical school, our first- and second-year students have also been navigating uncertainty over the leadership of WWAMI moving forward, fear over the future stability of this program, and questions related to support from the university,” he said.

The College of Health Sciences houses seven divisions (Communication Disorders, Kinesiology & Health, Nursing, Pharmacy, Social Work, the Wyoming Institute for Disabilities, and WWAMI medical education), each with its own dean or director.

Five of those seven leaders took a vote of no confidence in Dean Warren. All five who took part indicated they had “no confidence” in Warren’s ability to lead the college. Before that vote was even closed, one of those leaders — Sandy Root-Elledge — was told to resign or be fired. The next day, over in WWAMI, Schumaker was given the same ultimatum.

They both resigned the following Monday.

“It may be an unpleasant reality to confront, but we must acknowledge the fact that the resignations of two directors within the College of Health Sciences were sought following a unanimous vote of no confidence,” Pikla told the trustees. “The fact that this has largely gone unaddressed by university leadership is concerning and, in my opinion, not acceptable.”

The medical students did not raise the specific concerns of the faculty letter during their comments to the board, but their complaints did echo the problems that letter raised. Specifically, both spoke to a culture in the college where meaningful communication with the dean is scant and where objections or concerns are brushed aside.

“In the aftermath of an unprecedented action that has negatively impacted the experience and reputation of a prized division of our university, how will you restore trust, alleviate uncertainty, and ensure that a program that fills a truly dire need in our state remains a program of excellence?” Pikla asked the trustees.

WWAMI student Tatiana Smith, one of several who joined Pikla at the board meeting last week, said she and her classmates are concerned about what these removals, allegations and general culture will mean for the reputation of what has been one of UW’s most prestigious programs.

“Our program’s reputation really does precede us as students,” Smith said. “I attended the Wyoming Hospital Association dinner less than two months into my program, and I sat next to a COO of a hospital. And within five minutes of meeting her, she wanted to work with me. Not because of me — again, it was less than five minutes — but just because I’m from this program. So we’re very concerned with how all of this has been presented to the community as well.”

The trustees thanked the students for their input, but did not offer any insight into the administration’s decision-making.

Board Chairman John McKinley said “there are conversations occurring,” while President Ed Seidel told Pikla, “I really appreciated the way you comported yourself when you came to talk with me,” and also promised conversations were occurring.

Board Vice Chair Kermit Brown said the most, assuring students their program would continue striving for excellence and that the board was “wired into” the situation with Health Sciences.

“The board is fully aware of the events that you’ve discussed,” Brown said. “We probably move with glacial speed, which is just the way these things work. In our mind, back in October sometime isn’t very far away. But when you’re right on the edge of the blade, it’s a long ways away.”

Brown admitted the reorganization was not going “smoothly” but reiterated that the plan was still in motion.

“One of the missions that was represented to us was that our WWAMI program was going to be on the cutting edge of rural healthcare — and that was going to require some adjustments in the college and they've not gone particularly smoothly or particularly well,” he said. “But … I received what I consider to be sufficient assurance that that goal has never wavered.”