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Aron Sousa, MD

President

Aron Sousa, MD, took office as RFU president on Nov. 10, 2025, bringing with him a distinguished record of academic leadership and a deep commitment to community health. Nationally recognized for his leadership in medical education, he has advanced public health research and strengthened the role of academic medicine in serving society.

Dr. Sousa most recently served as dean of Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine (MSU CHM) and executive dean of the MSU Health Colleges. A self-described teacher at heart, Dr. Sousa is a strong advocate for students, prioritizing their success and well-being as they prepare to become the next generation of health leaders. He developed CHM’s Shared Discovery Curriculum, where students are exposed to multiple settings, systems and medical professionals from a variety of specialties, including physical therapy, nursing, social work and pharmacy. Dr. Sousa shares Rosalind Franklin University’s enduring commitment to interprofessional education and collaborative practice as a means to improve patient outcomes and provider engagement.

Throughout his 30-year career at MSU, Dr. Sousa established innovation-based partnerships, demonstrating how a university can closely collaborate with local partners to strengthen healthcare delivery and improve community well-being. His most transformative project while at MSU greatly advanced public health initiatives in Flint, Michigan. He was principal investigator on $37 million in grants from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation to establish a downtown campus, expand public health research, and ultimately create the Charles Stewart Mott Department of Public Health. The Flint expansion has advanced critical research on mental health, poverty, nutrition, and the effects of lead exposure in children during the city’s 2014–2016 water crisis.

A general internist and Fellow of the American College of Physicians, Dr. Sousa earned his medical degree from Indiana University School of Medicine, before completing his residency, chief residency and fellowship in primary care internal medicine at MSU.