Serving the Community: Dean McCullers Joins Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine

Dean Jonathan McCullers has brought decades of experience to the University of Houston’s Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine. For the past six months, he has served as both dean and vice president of health affairs, working closely with faculty and students to enhance the college’s legacy. McCullers succeeds Stephen Spann, Ph.D., who retired in August 2024 after eight years of service at UH. 

Before joining Fertitta Family College of Medicine, McCullers was a pediatric infectious disease doctor. He most recently worked at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) and Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis, helping transform it from a regional community hospital into a comprehensive academic medical center. Le Bonheur is recognized as a “Best Children’s Hospital” by U.S. News & World Report. McCullers also worked at The St. Jude Center and the Department of Infectious Diseases as well as published nearly 200 peer-reviewed research articles and earned more than 24 awards.

 In an interview, McCullers said that the Fertitta mission statement of training students to become primary care physicians who deliver compassionate, high-value care to underserved communities was a strong factor in his desire to move from Tennessee to Texas.

“The mission is a really exciting and unique one. We’re trying to train a new generation of physicians and equip them with the tools to do medicine in a different way,” explains McCullers.

 He knows that accomplishing these community-minded health goals will require ambitious growth.