Vermont Lung Center

Interim Senior Associate Dean for Medical Education and Associate Dean for Students Christa Zehle, M.D., recently announced the appointments of Shaden Eldakar-Hein, M.D., M.S., associate professor of medicine, and Prema Menon, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine, as interim assistant deans for students in the Office of Medical Student Education. They report to Dean Zehle.

In their new roles, Eldakar-Hein and Menon are providing oversight of programs that support student professional identity development, academic achievement, health and wellbeing and career advising. They will also engage in institutional leadership initiatives related to the delivery of the medical education program.

Eldakar-Hein graduated from Temple University School of Medicine and completed an internal medicine residency, including service as chief resident, at Temple University. She also completed a master of science degree in bioethics at the Bioethics institute at Albany Medical College. Eldakar-Hein joined UVM in 2013 as assistant professor and was promoted to associate professor in 2017. In addition to her service as a practicing hospitalist and consulting ethicist, she is engaged in medical student and resident education, and has served as director of the Professionalism, Communication and Reflection (PCR) course at the Larner College of Medicine, and associate director of the internal medicine residency program at the UVM Medical Center.

Menon earned her medical degree from Sri Devaraj Urs Medical College in India, and completed an internal medicine residency at Indiana University Ball Memorial Hospital, and a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine at UVM Medical Center. She joined the UVM faculty in 2013 and earned a doctorate in clinical and translational science from UVM in 2016 while serving as a pulmonary and critical care specialist and developing a research program focused on improving communication in the Intensive Care Unit and end of life care. Menon is director of the Interstitial Lung Disease program and associate program director of the Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Fellowship. She is a teacher and mentor of medical students, residents and fellows, leading group sessions in several courses throughout the medical curriculum. 

“We appreciate having these faculty role models join the Medical Student Services Team as supporters of and advocates for students and their medical education experience,” said Zehle. 

Visit the Student Services website.