Med school names dean
Albany Medical College’s new leader oversaw growth of neurosurgery program
Dr. Alan Boulos, a longtime Albany Medical Center neurosurgeon and 1994 graduate of Albany Medical College, has been named the 18th dean of Albany Medical College.
He is the third alumnus to be named to the medical school’s top position.
Boulos, of Glenmont, was approved as the college’s new dean by the Albany Med Health System board of directors on May 4. He succeeds Dr. Vincent P. Verdile, ’84, the secondlongest tenured dean of an American medical college, who received the honorary title of dean emeritus at the end of 2021. Boulos began serving as interim dean in January 2022.
“Dr. Boulos is a consummate leader who is highly regarded among our faculty, students, staff and constituents,” said Dr. Dennis P. Mckenna, president and CEO of the Albany Med Health System. “He has consistently demonstrated his dedication to his patients, trainees and staff, as well as his alma mater. I am confident that the Medical College’s tradition of excellence will flourish under his seasoned leadership and look forward to working with him as he advances our educational missions.”
Boulos has worked at Albany Med since 2002. He was named chief of
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neurosurgery in 2009 and was named the inaugural chair of the Department of Neurosurgery in 2013. He is also the Herman and Sunny Stall Chair of Endovascular Surgery, founding director of neurovascular surgery and professor of neurosurgery and radiology.
“It is a great privilege to follow in the footsteps of Dean Emeritus Verdile and to continue his legacy on the strong foundation he has built,” said Boulos. “Patient care, clinical education and biomedical research are now more important than ever, and I look forward to leading this fine institution into its next chapter.”
Boulos specializes in the surgical and endovascular management of cerebrovascular disorders of the brain and spine, including stroke, cerebral aneurysm, carotid and intracranial vessel stenosis, and arteriovenous malformation, as well as complex skull-base surgery for brain tumors.
It was under his oversight that the former Division of Neurosurgery was granted departmental status in response to its continued growth and strength of its clinical, academic and research pursuits.
Boulos comes from a line of neurosurgeons: His grandfather, Dr. Samuel Boctor, is credited with bringing modern neurosurgery to Egypt. And his father, Dr. Magdy Boulos, followed in his father-in-law’s footsteps, specializing in neurosurgery, and ultimately moving his family to the United States.
He grew up in Rochester and Delaware. He is a graduate of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Albany Medical College physician-scientist joint degree program. He completed his neurosurgery residency at Albany Medical Center before completing a fellowship in neuroendovascular surgery at Millard Fillmore Hospital in Buffalo.
He is the author of numerous publications and is a member of several professional societies, including the American College of Surgeons, the American Heart Association, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, the Cerebrovascular Section of the AANS and CNS, and the Society of Neurointerventional Surgery.
Boulos and his wife, Dr. Maria Boulos, ’94, who has practiced at the Bernard & Millie Duker Children’s Hospital at Albany Med, have three sons.
As dean, Dr. Alan Boulos will oversee the work of more than 2,000 staff members, including biomedical scientists in four interdisciplinary research centers and more than 500 faculty physicians. Nearly 840 medical and graduate students are enrolled at the college.
He will officially be installed as dean at a ceremony later this spring.