Regional dean for Temple medical school campus named

Baylor College of Medicine has named Dr. Alejandro “Alex” Arroliga as the regional dean of the School of Medicine’s first regional campus in Temple, Texas, which is set to welcome its incoming class of medical students in summer 2023.

Arroliga is chief medical officer at Baylor Scott & White Health, the largest not-for-profit health system in Texas. He will retain this role, a position he has held since 2018, where he provides clinical direction to more than 7,500 physicians and oversees quality improvement initiatives, as well as the system’s robust research and medical education efforts. He previously spent 13 years at the Cleveland Clinic where he served as a critical care physician leader and professor of medicine.

“I’m very excited to be working with Dr. Arroliga to expand our medical school to Temple, Texas. We are looking forward to bringing one of the best medical programs to Temple,” said Dr. Jennifer Christner, dean of the School of Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.

“Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Temple has been on the forefront of medical education for more than a century, and it is a tremendous honor to extend this legacy as regional dean for Baylor College of Medicine’s Temple campus,” said Arroliga. “By offering students a top-ranked medical school with training in a premier, integrated healthcare system, we are investing in the next generation of breakthrough treatments, cutting-edge research and safe, high-quality care—leading to improved health outcomes across the state.”

In the role as regional dean, Arroliga will report to Christner and will be responsible for the undergraduate medical education of the Baylor College of Medicine Temple campus and the local programs that support it. He will provide leadership for the ongoing development, implementation and evaluation of the undergraduate medical education programs at the Temple campus to ensure that it operates as one with the Houston campus.

“We are excited to expand our School of Medicine with a regional campus in Temple,” said Dr. Paul Klotman, president, CEO and executive dean of Baylor College of Medicine. “The goal of the regional campus is to expand the physician workforce pipeline for Texas and give our graduates the opportunity to provide care for the people of Texas. We are fortunate to have Dr. Arroliga joining as regional dean and helping us achieve this goal.”

Arroliga received his medical degree from Veracruzana University in Veracruz, Mexico, and completed his general medicine residency at Coney Island Hospital in Brooklyn, N.Y. He went on to complete his pulmonary and critical care fellowship at Yale University School of Medicine. He also holds a master’s degree in positive organization development and change from Case Western Reserve University.

He is an internationally recognized expert in the management of lung disease and critical care medicine and was named to Modern Healthcare’s 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives list in 2021.

In November 2020, Baylor College of Medicine and Baylor Scott & White Health announced an academic affiliation that included the development of a progressive four-year medical school regional campus in Temple, Texas, where Baylor College of Medicine will offer a curriculum highlighted by an approach that fully integrates health system and university resources to deliver adaptive and personalized medical education.