Barbara L. Bass, MD, RESD ’86, vice president for health affairs (VPHA), dean of the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS), and chief executive officer of The GW Medical Faculty Associates (GW MFA), is a widely respected leader in academic medicine, a surgeon, and a published author known for her pioneering innovation in academic surgery.
At GW, Dr. Bass leads the academic, clinical, and research missions and provides strategic direction on all aspects of GW’s medical enterprise, including the university’s relationships with the GW MFA and the GW Hospital. As CEO of the GW MFA, Dr. Bass oversees operations management and provides an effective and efficient administrative structure that supports the clinical enterprise and creates a culture of excellence in both internal and external customer service.
Dr. Bass is a GW residency alumna, completing her residency in general surgery at GW in 1986. She completed a research fellowship at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research while serving as a captain in the U.S. Army Medical Corps. After graduating, she began her career on the GW faculty as a general surgeon and surgeon-scientist at the Washington DC VA Affairs Medical Center.
Most recently, Dr. Bass served as chair of the Department of Surgery at Houston Methodist Hospital and built the department from the ground up. She recruited internationally acclaimed faculty; established high-quality clinical, residency and fellowship programs; and created robust interdisciplinary research teams in the basic sciences, translational, and clinical research domains. She also developed a highly rated clinical rotation for medical students and led the creation of Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited training programs in general surgery and numerous other surgical fellowship programs.