Hedda G. Dyer, MB CHB (Edin), MRCS (Edin), MBA, MPH

Dr. Hedda Dyer is chair and professor, department of clinical foundations (DCF), where she leads a team of faculty, skilled professionals and administrative professionals to consistently deliver exceptional clinical skills training for future physicians and their future patients. 

Dr. Dyer’s purpose statement is “to deliver excellence in clinical medical education that is sustainable and holistic, thereby producing future physicians who are committed to excellence in healthcare delivery and patient outcomes.” She is a surgeon, medical educator and researcher. Over the years, her career has encompassed experience in working with a diverse group of students, colleagues, patients and clinical partners in the spheres of education, research, healthcare, leadership and curriculum design. She is passionate about professional development and mentorship.

Joining Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM) in 2006, Dr. Dyer has held various committee appointments and leadership roles, notably as acting chair of DCF, vice chair of DCF, course director of semesters 4X and 05 clinical skills courses from 2013 to 2020, and director of semester 4X/05 hospital program from 2013 to 2017. In 2018, Dr. Dyer became the clinical co-module director of the digestive 1 and digestive 2 module. She served as the co-chair of the Module and Course Director’s (MCD’s) Curriculum Subcommittee with oversight for the design and implementation of the Formative Assessment program. Dr. Dyer is an active member of the Clinical Student Promotions Committee (CSPC) since 2018 and the Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) subcommittee of the Curriculum Committee.

Prior to joining RUSM, Dr. Dyer specialized in the area of breast oncological surgery in the National Health Service in England, United Kingdom. She is also active in clinical community participatory research, focusing on the early detection and diagnosis of breast cancer in limited resource countries since 2008 and breast and ovarian cancer health disparities since 2012. In medical education research, her focus has been on the role of critical consciousness and self-reflection in cultural humility in achieving cultural competency in medical education since 2019, and more recently on the use of standardized patients to improve trauma informed care in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Dyer earned her bachelor of medicine and surgery (MB CHB Ed) degree from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, United Kingdom, and completed her residency in surgery in the United Kingdom, with additional experience in France. She earned her membership of the Royal College of Surgeons (MRCS Ed) from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom. Additionally, Dr. Dyer has a master of business administration (MBA) with a concentration in health services from the Keller Graduate School of Management in Springfield, Illinois. 

She is fluent in conversational and medical French as well as intermediate Spanish.