Charlene M. Dewey
MD, MEd, MACP

Dr. Dewey is a Professor and Director of the Center for Professional Health at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine/Medical Center. She is a Professor of Medical Education and Administration, and Medicine and Public Health. She is an internist and graduate of Morehouse School of Medicine (M.D. 1990) where she also received the Ciba Geigy Award for Academic and Community Leadership and the Departments of Medicine and Psychiatry Achievement Awards. Dr. Dewey completed her residency and chief residency at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center in 1993. Dr. Dewey joined the faculty of the Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX and was designated as a T. T. Chao Scholar in 1993-94. Dr. Dewey received her M.Ed. in Curriculum Design and Evaluation (2004) from the University of Houston and developed two model programs: The Educator Development Program (EDP) and Residents as Teachers and Leaders (RATL™) Program. She joined the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine with joint appointments in the Department of Medical Education and Administration and the Department of Medicine-Division of General Internal Medicine and Public Health in September 2007. Dr. Dewey is also the chair of the Faculty Wellness Committee at Vanderbilt and was the first African American to chair the Faculty Senate at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Dewey is on the National Academy of Medicine Action Collaborative Countering the US Opioid Epidemic – Education and Training Working Group and was an invited participant in the ACGME opioid education program in 2021. She recently served on the American College of Physicians’ Physician Well-being Taskforce and the Education Committee. She was elected in 2023 to serve on the ACP Board of Regents. Dr. Dewey is an expert and highly sought-after educator in proper prescribing of controlled prescription drugs/opioid management and the professional health and wellness of the healthcare provider including overall wellbeing, stress/stress management, burnout, and impairment prevention as well as resilience and other health related topics that support the wellbeing of physicians and other healthcare providers. Dr. Dewey has been recognized with various awards for her contributions to teaching, patient care, and community service. She is a member of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine’s Academy for Excellence in Education, the YWCA Academy for Women of Achievement (2015) and winner of the 2013 Athena International Award. Dr. Dewey was honored by Bradley University with the Distinguished Alumni Award and the Bradley University Orville Nohdurft Lifetime Achievement Award and was named the Vanderbilt University Joseph A. Johnson, Jr., Distinguished Leadership Professor for 2018-19. She has two named scholarships in her honor and is a 3-time recipient of the Vanderbilt 5-Star Award for 100% Patient Satisfaction. She is a member of The Links, Incorporated, Nashville (TN) Chapter since 2008. She is married to Wayne J. Riley, M.D., MBA, MPH, president, SUNY Downstate Health Science University and is the mother of two wonderful daughters, Erin Elizabeth and Alexis Camille.