Miller-Thomas, Shokeen Appointed Vice Chairs

Michelle M. Miller-Thomas, MD, and Monica Shokeen, PhD, have been appointed to two new vice chair positions for Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology (MIR) at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Miller-Thomas will serve as vice chair for faculty development, and Shokeen will serve as vice chair for diversity, equity, inclusion and justice (DEIJ).

“Both of these roles are exceptionally important, as people are at the heart of who we are as a department,” said Pamela K. Woodard, MD, the Elizabeth E. Mallinckrodt Professor of Radiology and director of MIR. “The vice chair for faculty development and the vice chair for DEIJ are critical to support our people, to promote the academic and personal growth of our faculty, and to achieve an exceptional and inclusive departmental community of faculty, trainees and staff.”

Miller-Thomas’s responsibilities in her new role include creating programs to support mentorship, particularly of junior and mid-career faculty, and providing meaningful guidance in academic achievement. She is the university’s director of medical student education in radiology and serves on the School of Medicine’s Gateway Curriculum planning committee, where she supervises the incorporation of radiology education in all phases.

In 2020, Miller Thomas became a member of the university’s Academy of Educators, jumpstarting an interest in faculty development. She serves on the academy’s Executive Committee and received the Loeb Teaching Fellowship in 2020 to create materials aimed at teaching the fundamentals of radiology. She was also recognized for her creativity in education through a Distinguished Service Teaching Award from the Office of Education.

Shokeen has served as the director of MIR’s Office of DEIJ since February 2023. As vice chair, she will lead efforts to build a community and culture of respect, belonging, empathy, excellence and justice at MIR.

In her work to advance equity, Shokeen has also collaborated with various partners within the WashU and BJC HealthCare network. She has served as an equity fellow for Siteman Cancer Center, as one of MIR’s equity champions for WashU Medicine, as a member of the Academy of Educators, and in various roles mentoring students on the Medical Campus and in the School of Engineering. Shokeen is the director of the Molecular Imaging Center and the principal investigator of the Shokeen Molecular Imaging Lab, based in the Biophotonics Research Center. She previously served as the 2020 Women in Molecular Imaging Network chair.