Erin L McKean, MD, MBA, FACS

 Erin L McKean headshot
Clinical Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
Clinical Professor of Neurosurgery
Assistant Dean for Student Affairs
Medical School
University of Michigan
Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
1500 E. Medical Center Dr.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5312
[email protected]
Available to mentor
Erin L McKean, MD, MBA, FACS
Erin L McKean headshot
Assistant Dean
  • About
  • Qualifications
  • Research Overview
  • Recent Publications

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    • About

    Clinician-Leader/Administrator
    My 'north star' has always been exceptional patient care. In the drive toward this, I have recognized the necessity
    of leadership in valuing and incentivizing diverse high-performing teams, designing systems of quality and safety, building patient-centered educational programs, and collaborating in research studies to advance treatments, care and cures. As I have gained experience over time, my career has shifted towards a balance of hands-on clinical and educational activity with administrative oversight and visionary leadership. I am fortunate to be able to work collaboratively and lead within both the niche subspecialty of skull base surgery and the greater domains of clinical care and medical education, to innovate, educate, and advance new ideas to advance exceptional patient care, education and discovery.

    Clinician-Educator
    In medical education, I was given a fortuitous opportunity to use both my MD and MBA, as well as my love for teaching, in developing an innovative Leadership curriculum at the medical school. The curriculum aimed to develop both "little l" and "big L" leaders: those with no formal authority but transformational influence and those with formal authority and positions. I worked with a team to delineate competencies, design curricular elements and map learning objectives to competencies. I served on the Admissions Executive Committee (AEC), including its formal Admissions Leadership Team (ALT). I also co-led the Dean's Scholars program. More recently, I was appointed Assistant Dean for Student Services in July 2020, and I have led an overhaul of our medical student mental health services, negotiating for wide expansion of services and funding. The title was changed to Assistant Dean for Student Affairs (ADSA) in 2024, recognizing the comprehensive oversight required. In my role as ADSA, I have oversight and responsibility for physical & mental health of medical students; learning and disability services; academic, personal & emotional counseling; registration and scheduling; professionalism development; career counseling services, Match and collaboration on transition to residency; and creation of a healthy, transformative and optimal learning environment.

    Qualifications
    • Fellowship
      University of Michigan, Craniofacial and Cranial Base Surgery, Ann Arbor, United States
      2008 - 2009
      Postdoctoral Fellowship
    • Fellowship, Craniofacial and Cranial Base Surgery
      University of Michigan–Ann Arbor, Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Division of Facial Plastic Surgery, Ann Arbor, United States

    Research Overview

    - Outcomes after treatment of anterior skull base pathologies (including validated quality of life survey, olfaction outcomes, cosmetic outcomes, vision outcomes, cost outcomes)
    - Long term effects of cranial base radiation on pituitary function
    - Leadership in medical education
    - Medical student mental health

    Recent Publications

     See All Publications
    • Journal Article
      Exploring Consensus on Skull Base Chordoma Management
      Myneni S, Ahmed AK, Kazemi F, Saraswathula A, Zwagerman NT, Su SY, Choby G, Wang EW, Van Gompel JJ, Redmond KJ, McKean EL, Snyderman CH, Gardner PA, Rowan NR, Mukherjee D. Journal of Neurological Surgery Part B Skull Base, 2026 Mar 3; 87 (S 01): s1 - s548. DOI:10.1055/s-0046-1818846
    • Journal Article
      The Road to Consensus in Craniocervical Chordoma Management: A NIH Modified Delphi Survey
      Tang A, Valencia B, Conley AP, Stokes C, Walz PC, Raza SM, Ramaswamy U, Gondi V, Gokaslan Z, Orzaiz GA, McKean E, Ioakeim-Ioannidou M, MacDonald S, McDowell M, Wang EW, Gardner PA, Snyderman CH, Wedekind MF, Patel V, Polster S. Journal of Neurological Surgery Part B Skull Base, 2026 Mar 3; 87 (S 01): s1 - s548. DOI:10.1055/s-0046-1818847
    • Journal Article
      Early Post-implementation Analysis of a Medical Student Mental Health Program
      Bernstein R, Cox K, Collins C, Changolkar S, Brower K, McKean E. Academic Psychiatry, 2026 Feb 1; 50 (1): 48 - 53. DOI:10.1007/s40596-025-02193-9
      PMID: 40908462
    • Journal Article
      Multi-Institutional Modified Delphi for Genomics in Expert Consensus Survey of Genomic Testing for Anterior Skull Base Malignancies
      Saraswathula A, Sriram S, Levine C, London NR, Su SY, Geltzeiler M, Rangarajan SV, Witterick I, Thorp B, Gallagher KK, Byrd K, Carrau R, Abuzeid W, Wang E, Snyderman C, McKean EL. Journal of Neurological Surgery Part B Skull Base, 2026 Feb 1; 87 (1): 14 - 22. DOI:10.1055/a-2531-2230
    • Journal Article
      The Craniopharyngioma Quality of Life (C-QOL) Index: a preliminary disease-specific, patient-centered tool for assessing patient reported outcomes in adult craniopharyngioma patients
      Myneni S, Bhandarkar S, Akbari H, Mayne R, Ahmed AK, Kazemi F, Almeida JP, Germanwala AV, Venteicher AS, Zwagerman NT, Wang EW, Choby G, McKean EL, Snyderman CH, Rowan NR, Mukherjee D. Journal of Neuro Oncology, 2026 Jan 1; 176 (1): DOI:10.1007/s11060-025-05284-7
      PMID: 41143938
    • Journal Article
      Expert Strategies: Skull Base Reconstruction—Global Perspectives, Insights, and Algorithms through a MixedMethods Approach
      Kuan EC, Talati V, Patel JA, Nguyen TV, Abiri A, Pang JC, Goshtasbi K, Liu L, Craig JR, Papagiannopoulos P, Phillips KM, Tajudeen BA, Adappa ND, Palmer JN, Sedaghat AR, Wang EW, Anand V, Batra PS, Bergsneider M, Bernal-Sprekelsen M, Bleier BS, Cappabianca P, Carrau RL, Casiano RR, Castelnuovo P, Cavallo LM, Cohen MA, Dallan I, Eloy JA, El-Sayed IH, Evans JJ, Fernandez-Miranda JC, Ferrari M, Froelich S, Gardner PA, Georgalas C, Gray ST, Hanna EY, Harvey RJ, Hong SD, Hwang PH, Kelly DF, Kong DS, Lan MY, Lee JYK, Levine CG, Liu JK, Locatelli D, Meço C, McKean EL, Nicolai P, Nyquist GG, Omura K, Passeri T, Patel ZM, Celda MP, Neto CP, Prevedello DM, Rabinowitz MR, Raza SM, Recinos PF, Rosen MR, Sargi ZB, Schlosser RJ, Schwartz TH, Sindwani R, Snyderman CH, Stamm AC, Thorp BD, Turri-Zanoni M, Wang MB, Wang WH, Witterick IJ, Won TB, Woodworth BA, Wormald PJ, Zada G, Su SY. International Forum of Allergy and Rhinology, 2025 Oct 1; 15 (10): 1032 - 1069. DOI:10.1002/alr.23596
      PMID: 40371737
    • Journal Article
      Exploring perspectives on skull base chordoma management: a modified Delphi approach to consensus
      Myneni S, Ahmed AK, Kazemi F, Saraswathula A, Zwagerman NT, Su SY, Choby G, Wang EW, Van Gompel JJ, Redmond KJ, McKean EL, Snyderman CH, Gardner PA, Rowan NR, Mukherjee D. Journal of Neuro Oncology, 2025 Sep 1; 174 (3): 609 - 620. DOI:10.1007/s11060-025-05088-9
      PMID: 40402197
    • Journal Article
      June 4: International Skull Base Surgery Day
      Gudis DA, Bleier BS, Eloy JA, Evans JJ, Fernandez-Miranda JC, Gardner PA, Geltzeiler M, Grayson JW, Harvey RJ, Illing EA, Kennedy DW, Klatt-Cromwell C, Kuan EC, Lee J, Link MJ, Liu JK, Loftus P, London NR, McKean EL, McKinney KA, Michael LM, Nyquist GG, Patel ZM, Rabinowitz M, Rangarajan SV, Eng M, Rodriguez KD, Rowan NR, Schlosser RJ, Searyoh K, Sekula RF, Smith TL, Snyderman C, Sreenath SB, Tang DM, Thorp BD, Wang EW, Wang MB, Woodworth BA, Choby G. International Forum of Allergy and Rhinology, 2025 May 1; 15 (5): 481 - 482. DOI:10.1002/alr.23545
      PMID: 40135775