Frederick Ehlert, MD, Appointed Associate Dean for Admissions at VP&S

Dear Colleagues,

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Frederick (Fritz) Ehlert, MD’86, as Associate Dean for Admissions for the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, effective July 22.

As a member of the admissions committee since 2007, Dr. Ehlert, associate professor of medicine, has interviewed hundreds of prospective students and worked closely with previous admissions deans on the selection process. He has a long history at VP&S, beginning as a medical student and continuing through residency. After completing fellowships in cardiology and cardiac electrophysiology at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, he returned to Columbia as a faculty member in 1993.

Dr. Ehlert continues an active clinical practice in cardiac electrophysiology at VP&S and as director of physician development for HeartSource. His area of expertise is pacemaker and defibrillator lead management, and he is one of the most experienced lead extractors in the country. He also maintains a commitment to undergraduate and graduate medical education and has served as clinical teacher, lecturer, formal preceptor, research mentor, and currently as the electrophysiology fellowship program director. He has been active in the VP&S alumni community, serving as Class of 1986 chair and as a member of the board of the Alumni Association.

Dr. Ehlert has demonstrated an unparalleled dedication to the VP&S community in his many years of service. His commitment to fostering academic excellence and helping to select the next generation of students and fellows to VP&S is truly inspiring. We look forward to having him as a member of the medical school’s education team.

We extend our thanks to Cary Aarons, MD, and Marina Catallozzi, MD, for co-chairing the search committee, and to all who lent their time, talent, and insight to the search process. We also are happy to have an opportunity to again acknowledge Anne Armstrong-Coben, MD’89 and Donald Quest, MD’70, whose leadership roles continued our college’s standing as one of the nation’s most popular and competitive medical schools.

Please join us in thanking the search committee and Drs. Armstrong-Coben and Quest and welcoming Dr. Ehlert to his new role.

Sincerely,

Katrina Armstrong, MD
Dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences and the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
Executive Vice President for Health and Biomedical Sciences, Columbia University

Monica L. Lypson, MD, MHPE
Vice Dean for Education
Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons