Announcing Brenessa Lindeman as executive dean of CCLCM
I am pleased to share exciting news about a significant leadership appointment within our academic community. Brenessa Lindeman, MD, MEHP, has been named the next executive dean of the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University (CCLCM). She will begin in October 2026.
Dr. Lindeman brings a wealth of experience as a surgeon, educator and leader. She joins us from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she served as vice chair of education in the Department of Surgery, professor of surgery, pediatrics and medical education, program director of the Endocrine Surgery Fellowship and assistant dean of graduate medical education. Dr. Lindeman is an internationally recognized scholar in health professions education with expertise in competency-based assessment, learner development and physician wellness.
The Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine includes the Lerner College Program within the School of Medicine. As executive dean, Dr. Lindeman will lead CCLCM’s distinctive five-year, tuition-free physician-investigator program, overseeing academic, administrative and financial operations. She will also hold an academic appointment within our School of Medicine, where she will be part of the leadership team for medical education, reporting to Lia Logio, MD, vice dean for medical education.
Notably, Dr. Lindeman is the first surgeon to serve as executive dean since CCLCM’s founding in 2002. She succeeds J. Harry Isaacson, MD, who guided the program through a period of significant growth and innovation, and Christine Warren, MD, a CCLCM graduate who has served as interim executive dean since January 2026.
Dr. Lindeman received her medical degree from Vanderbilt University’s School of Medicine, completed a residency in general surgery at Johns Hopkins University, where she additionally served as administrative chief resident. She then completed a fellowship in endocrine surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She holds a Master of Education in Health Professions from Johns Hopkins. Her clinical interests include thyroid cancer, benign thyroid disease, hyperparathyroidism, adrenal disease and surgical treatment of inherited endocrine syndromes.
We are delighted to welcome Dr. Lindeman’s leadership, vision and passion for advancing medical education and training the next generation of physician-scientists. Please join me in congratulating and welcoming her to the CWRU community.
Sincerely,
Stan Gerson, MD
Dean and Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
