Dr. Nita Ahuja announced as next dean of the UW School of Medicine and Public Health
Nita Ahuja, M.D., M.B.A, F.A.C.S, a surgeon-scientist who has held top roles at some of the nation’s leading research universities and health systems, will lead the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and serve as the university’s next vice chancellor for medical affairs.
Ahuja is a cancer-care innovator whose treatment approaches and research have garnered international recognition. She is also a proven leader and administrator with a track record for bringing multidisciplinary teams together to solve health care challenges.
“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Ahuja to the University of Wisconsin,” says Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin. “For decades, she has tackled difficult-to-treat cancers for her own patients while simultaneously working to improve the experience for all patients at the health systems she has helped lead. I am confident that Dr. Ahuja’s experience as a physician, world-class researcher and administrator will provide the visionary leadership necessary to build upon UW–Madison’s excellence in medicine and public health.”
Ahuja comes to UW–Madison after more than two decades conducting research and treating patients at two of the nation’s premier health care and research institutions. She also brings depth of experience as an academic leader and health care administrator. A surgical oncologist by training, Ahuja has chaired Yale University’s Department of Surgery since 2018 — the first woman to do so in its 200-year history — while also holding faculty appointments in oncology and pathology.
Ahuja will assume her University of Wisconsin roles on May 15, 2025.