Darrell Kirch

Darrell G. Kirch, MD, is president and CEO of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), which represents the nation's medical schools, teaching hospitals, and academic societies.

A distinguished physician, educator, and medical scientist, Dr. Kirch speaks and publishes widely on the need for transformation in the nation’s health care system and how academic medicine can lead change across medical education, biomedical research, and patient care. He is an ardent champion for the well-being of the nation’s health professions workforce and interprofessional education, serving as co-chair of the National Academy of Medicine Action Collaborative on Clinician Well-Being and Resilience and as a founding member of the Interprofessional Education Collaborative. Dr. Kirch is also a member of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Special Medical Advisory Group and the Board of Regents of the American College of Psychiatrists and a past member of the American Council on Education Board of Directors. In 2007, Dr. Kirch was elected to the National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine).

Before becoming AAMC president in 2006, Dr. Kirch served as the dean and academic health system leader of two institutions: Medical College of Georgia and Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. He has co-chaired the Liaison Committee on Medical Education — the accrediting body for U.S. medical schools — and chaired the AAMC Council of Deans.

A psychiatrist and clinical neuroscientist by training, Dr. Kirch began his career at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), becoming the acting scientific director in 1993. His work at NIMH was recognized when he received the Outstanding Service Medal of the United States Public Health Service. A native of Denver, Dr. Kirch earned his BA and MD degrees from the University of Colorado.