Last July, Dr. Jacquie Ripat returned to the role of associate dean research at the College of Rehabilitation Sciences, and Dr. Sandra Webber was appointed as the college’s inaugural associate dean academic.
Ripat was previously in her role from its creation in 2020 until 2023. She oversees the research enterprise of the college, developing researcher capacity and excellence, and providing faculty support through mentorship and onboarding.
“We are in a time of expansion and that includes hiring new researchers, refreshing the research agenda and strategic plan around research and representing the colleges’ research within the faculty and university,” she said.
“I believe strongly in our researchers and in the work that they’re doing. It’s important and exciting work, and so I want to be able to facilitate that in any way I can.”
Ripat is continuing as chair of technology for assisted living for the college and vice dean academic affairs for the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences.
Webber said her role involves sharing of information across departments, special projects related to the expansion of the college, and representing the college within the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences and across UM.
She is heavily involved in developing proposals for a new speech-language pathology master’s program and a PhD in rehabilitation sciences degree. She is also assisting the respiratory therapy department in its expansion, which will accept 40 students in September 2025.
“The departments are at different stages for different things, and I think that we can learn a lot from each other,” Webber said.
Webber has been director of the applied health sciences PhD program since Jan 2023. She will be discontinuing this role in January 2025 when she moves into the position of associate dean (health sciences) for the Faculty of Graduate Studies.