Wayne State University School of Medicine Dean John D. Crissman, MD, has announced the appointment of Donna Dauphinais as Chief of Staff of the school, effective immediately.

In her role as Chief of Staff, Dauphinais takes responsibility for the overall advancement program for the school, including fund raising, public relations and government relations initiatives.  In addition, Dauphinais will lead the efforts to implement the school’s strategic plan.

“I have every confidence that Donna’s experience and qualifications are what’s needed to achieve our major imperatives and to develop a working model for our future advancement,” said Dr. Crissman. “She has a very strong record of program development and management, administrative leadership and community involvement.”

Dauphinais joins the School of Medicine from the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, where she was Associate Director for Administration of the Meyer L. Prentis Comprehensive Cancer Center of Metropolitan Detroit. Her professional career includes more than 20 years in increasingly more responsible administrative roles with the Michigan Cancer Foundation and the Karmanos Cancer Institute.

Dauphinais has served as a consultant to the National Institutes of Health since 1991 and has reviewed the programs of 17 universities nationwide as an expert in fiscal and program administration.

Dauphinais is a lifetime member of Leadership Detroit XXI of the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce and serves on the board of directors of Family Service Inc. Her record of volunteer service includes the National Conference for Community and Justice, the Detroit Zoological Society, the J.P. McCarthy Foundation and the AIDS Volunteer Network of the Junior League of Detroit.

Dauphinais holds a BBA in general management from Davenport University and completed post-graduate work at the University of Michigan’s Executive Education Program in its School of Business Administration.

She resides in Grosse Pointe Park.