Dr. Mary Groll appointed dean of North Central College's School of Education and Health Sciences

North Central College has announced Dr. Mary Groll, MD, as the new dean of the School of Education and Health Sciences (SEHS), effective immediately. She has served as interim dean of SEHS since July 2023.

“After serving admirably as interim dean for the past year, we are thrilled that Dr. Mary Groll will continue to serve as dean of the School of Education and Health Sciences in a permanent capacity,” said Abiódún Gòkè-Pariolá, provost and vice president for academic affairs at North Central College. “Dr. Groll has been instrumental in the successful growth of our graduate health science programs, and she is a talented leader, educator, and respected colleague with a strong vision for the future of SEHS as a whole.”

Groll arrived at North Central in 2019 as founding director of the College’s master of physician assistant studies program, and later became chair of the department of medical sciences. Prior to joining North Central, she was a faculty member and founding medical director of the physician assistant program at Dominican University.

“It is an honor to continue to serve North Central College and its amazing faculty, staff, and students in this role,” said Groll. “Together, we will double our efforts to educate the next generation of competent and compassionate educators and healthcare providers, as agents of change. We as a school remain steadfast in our commitment to advance interprofessional and relationship-centered education, with focus on humanism and evidence-based curricula. In collaboration with our school districts and health care communities, I am certain our North Central graduates will continue to improve outcomes and dismantle inequities in both education and health care.” 

Groll is a board-certified pediatrician, passionate educator, and program developer. She completed her pediatric residency at the University of Chicago and served as an attending physician in the neonatal and pediatric intensive care units at University of Chicago’s Comer Children’s Hospital.

Groll received her medical degree from Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, her master’s degree from Northern Illinois University, and her bachelor’s degree from Knox College. She has received numerous accolades for her service as an educator and pediatric care provider, including the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Child Advocacy Award; the Feinberg School of Medicine Teaching Award; and the Feinberg School of Medicine Frederick and Harriett Stenn Fund Award for Humanism in Medicine.

North Central College’s School of Education and Health Sciences is comprised undergraduate and graduate programs in the following departments:

• Department of Education
• Department of Health Sciences
• Department of Kinesiology
• Department of Medical Sciences (including Physician Assistant Studies)
• Department of Nursing
• Department of Occupational Therapy
• Department of Physical Therapy

More information about North Central’s School of Education and Health Sciences is available here.