Sushma Cribbs, MD named Vice Chair for Faculty Development

Please join the Department of Medicine in congratulating Sushma Cribbs, MD, MSc, associate professor of medicine in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, on being promoted to vice chair for faculty development, effective September 1, 2022.

In this new role, Cribbs will lead the Department of Medicine’s senior promotion and tenure process; oversee faculty professional development workshops, conferences, mentoring programs, and the DOM Honors and Awards Celebration; lead the faculty development committee; and oversee the processes for faculty Career Conference and Performance Review and Clinical Distinctions.

Cribbs joined the Department of Medicine faculty in 2009 and has held several leadership roles since, including associate vice chair for faculty development, medical director of the pulmonary clinic at Grady Memorial Hospital, associate program director of the Pulmonary & Critical Care Fellowship Program, and director of the Home Oxygen Respiratory Program at the Atlanta VA Hospital. She is currently based at the Atlanta VA where she sees patients and supervises medical students, residents, and fellows. Her research is focused on studying the mechanisms by which HIV affects lung immunity rendering individuals susceptible to lung infections.

Cribbs brings a wealth of experience to the role. In the past year as associate vice chair of faculty development, she has developed and lead two new career development workshops for mid-career faculty, assisted with new clinical skills workshops on conscious communication, worked to revamp the faculty development and mentoring committee structure, and assisted numerous faculty with promotions. In addition, as chair of the DOM Early Career Subcommittee, she led the effort to develop BUGLE, the faculty development app now used school-wide. She chaired the Dean’s Faculty Advisory Committee, focusing on faculty satisfaction and burnout in the Emory Clinic. At the national level, Cribbs served as chair of the Members-in-Transition and Training Committee for the American Thoracic Society and as co-chair of the Membership Committee for the Southern Society of Clinical Investigation. She has also organized numerous bootcamps, workshops, and training programs for junior and mid-career faculty in her national society.

Cribbs completed her undergraduate and medical school education at Boston University and her internal medicine residency training at Emory. She performed a year of research as a senior associate in Emory’s Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine. She then went on to pursue her fellowship training at Emory. Additionally, she obtained a Master of Science in Clinical Research from Emory’s Laney Graduate School.

The Department of Medicine would like to extend our sincere appreciation to Kathy Griendling, PhD on her many years of service as the vice chair for faculty development. Griendling is now the executive associate dean of faculty academic affairs and professional development within the School of Medicine where she oversees appointments and promotions, faculty development, and Continuing Medical Education. Thanks to her incredible leadership, the department is seen as a leader in faculty development programming. We are extremely grateful for the time and effort she has dedicated to ensuring that our faculty have the resources they need to excel in their careers.

We look forward to welcoming Cribbs into her new role in leading the Office of Faculty Development. We are excited to see her build on Griendling’s success and continue to create a community of engaged faculty within the Department of Medicine. Her enthusiasm and creativity are sure to add value to our programs.