Christina Granillo, PhD, has been appointed as associate dean for Student Success at the UC Riverside School of Medicine. She will begin in the position on July 1.
“I am so pleased to have Dr. Christina Granillo fill this important position,” said Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences and the Mark and Pam Rubin Dean of the School of Medicine Deborah Deas, MD, MPH. “She has been an important part of the School of Medicine for nearly 15 years, and her career path has been leading her to this moment. I am looking forward to seeing what she accomplishes.”
Granillo, who is also an assistant clinical professor of health sciences, will provide primary oversight of the Offices of Academic Success, Student Support & Wellness and Registrar and assist with general operations in the Office of Student Affairs, including areas of medical school admissions, recruitment, student support, alumni relations, philanthropy, and pathway programs. She will be responsible with providing holistic student support and enabling success from recruitment to graduation. Among other responsibilities, she will serve on the admissions committee, contribute to the development of the strategic plan for the Office of Student Affairs, and will counsel medical students on issues related to student progress and other issues.
“As an Inland Empire native and UC Riverside alumnus, I am deeply honored to support the mission of the UCR School of Medicine. I am excited to step into this new role as associate dean of student success and look forward to supporting our students as they pursue their goals of becoming compassionate and skilled physicians,” Granillo said.
Granillo graduated from UCR with a BA in psychology before earning her master’s degree and doctorate in psychology from the Claremont Graduate University.
Granillo is currently the director of the Office of Academic Success and, for the last four years, has been a member of the admissions committee. She began her career at the UCR School of Medicine in Pathway Programs in 2012, finding support avenues for students in underrepresented communities as they navigated the path towards careers in healthcare.
Throughout her career, Granillo has represented UCR on a variety of AAMC national working groups, including Holistic Student Support, Next Step 1 Advising Group, the Western Regional Representative to the National Committee on Student Records, and the Student Advising, Support, and Records Management Committee. She has also been an invited speaker at the AAMC’s annual Learn Serve Lead meeting and is a frequent presenter at both regional and national conferences on holistic student support programming and curriculum, wellness and student support.
In 2020, Granillo was named a Latina of Influence by Hispanic Lifestyle.
