Dr. Marilyn Baetz (MD) has been appointed interim dean at the USask College of Medicine starting January 1, 2024. (Photo: Dave Stobbe)
Dr. Marilyn Baetz (MD) has been appointed interim dean at the USask College of Medicine starting January 1, 2024. (Photo: Dave Stobbe)

Baetz appointed interim dean

Dr. Marilyn Baetz has been appointed interim dean at the College of Medicine, as Dr. Preston Smith will formally complete his deanship effective Apr. 1, 2024, and will be on administrative leave from Jan. 1 to Mar. 31, 2024.

Baetz will hold this role for a one-year term, from Jan. 1, 2024, to Dec. 31, 2024, or until a new dean is appointed. She currently serves as the vice-dean, Faculty Engagement in the college, a role she has held since Nov. 1, 2019. In this position, she is the college’s senior leader for all matters related to faculty recruitment, retention, and engagement, as well as a liaison between the college and the physician community.

Baetz is a full professor of psychiatry in the college and previously served as the provincial head of the Department of Psychiatry from 2010 to 2019—a joint position with USask and the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA). In this administrative role, she strategically led a diverse provincial department of physicians and scientists toward a tripartite mission for education, research and clinical excellence. An outstanding researcher, strong leader and dedicated mentor, she has worked as a psychiatrist for 25 years, during which time she has trained many undergraduate students and residents in psychiatry.