Dr. Shelly Powers to Become NOVA's New Medical Education Provost

ANNANDALE, Va., Jan. 21, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Dr. Shelly Powers has been named Northern Virginia Community College's new Medical Education Campus Provost. Powers has more than 30 years of combined experience in the medical sciences and higher education.

She most recently served as NOVA's academic dean for health sciences. Prior to joining NOVA three years ago, she held faculty and academic administrative roles at Howard University, where she served as assistant professor, senior academic director, and chair of the Physician Assistant Program; and at Anne Arundel Community College, where she served as interim program director for the Physician Assistant Program. As a Howard faculty member, she was active on Faculty Senate, including service on the Budget and Grievance Committees; and she was honored by Howard's College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences for Excellence in Leadership.

"Dr. Powers is an outstanding leader, and I am looking forward to working with her as we grow the impactful health sciences programming here at the Medical Education Campus," said Anne M. Kress, president of NOVA. "Together, we will offer more students the opportunity to find success through in-demand healthcare jobs, expand our health certificate and short-term workforce training programs and ultimately, train more people to save lives in Northern Virginia."

Powers also brings significant clinical experience to her new role. She has served as the clinical director of palliative care at Aspire Health (Baltimore, Md.), executive director of D.C.'s Area Health Education Center and as an OB-GYN physician assistant (PA) at Providence Hospital (D.C.). In addition, Dr. Powers has been the principal investigator on over $3M of Department of Health and Human Services federal grants related to increasing access for under-represented students to healthcare pathways.

She has an exemplary track record of leading health sciences programs and leading students to success and of recruiting and supporting faculty in these complex disciplines. As Provost, Dr. Powers will build upon her experience at the MEC and her relationships with our regional healthcare partners as the campus plans its $25M expansion and as demand for healthcare workers continues to grow.

"I am honored to assume the role of provost for NOVA's Medical Education Campus during this pivotal time," Powers said. "There is an insatiable demand for healthcare workers in our region and nation now more than ever; and our graduates will lead the way in caring for communities both locally and nationally. Additionally, I am pleased to lead as the MEC grows exponentially through this massive expansion, which will allow us to train more healthcare workers and to care for even more people in need."

Her commitment to community outreach and engagement models the MEC's original vision and sets a strong course for its future.

Powers holds a Doctor of Medical Science from the University of Lynchburg, a Master of Administrative Management from Bowie State University and a Bachelor of Science in Physician Assistant from Howard University.

For questions regarding this announcement and all other media inquiries, please contact Hoang Nguyen, public information officer at [email protected].

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Northern Virginia Community College is the largest public institution of higher education in the Commonwealth of Virginia and one of America's largest community colleges. NOVA enrolls more than 75,000 students at its six campuses in Alexandria, Annandale, Loudoun, Manassas, Springfield and Woodbridge, and through NOVA Online. For more information about NOVA and its programs or services, call 703-323-3000 or visit the College's Web site, http://www.nvcc.edu.

Media Contact

Hoang Nguyen, Northern Virginia Community College, 240.620.9652, [email protected]

SOURCE Northern Virginia Community College