Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs and Dean CU School of Medicine
John H. Sampson, MD, PhD, MHSc, MBA, is a practicing neurosurgeon who joined CU in July 2024 after serving as senior vice president for Duke University Health System and Duke Health Integrated Practice in Durham, North Carolina, leading thousands of medical faculty, community physicians, psychologists and advanced practice providers who together compose the university's clinical team.
Practicing broadly in the field of neurosurgery, he held the Robert H. and Gloria Wilkins Distinguished Professorship in Neurosurgery, served as the inaugural chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at Duke, and has a research focus on advancing new therapies for brain tumors and other diseases of the nervous system.
Dr. Sampson is an accomplished physician-scientist and member of the National Academy of Medicine whose career has spanned clinical practice, research, education and organizational leadership. An accomplished scholar, he has authored nearly 300 peer-reviewed publications and long stood as a highly funded investigator in his field with substantial grant awards from the National Institutes of Health. He leads several entrepreneurial ventures and holds board appointments for health systems, foundations and companies focused on innovation in health and medicine.
His training began with a medical degree in his home country of Canada, followed by a doctorate in neuroimmunology and a master’s of health science in clinical research at Duke University. After research training in neuro-oncology, Dr. Sampson took an interest in health sector management, furthering his education with a master’s in business administration from Duke’s Fuqua School of Business.
Interim Executive Vice Dean for Clinical Affairs, Quality, and Research Operations, Chair of the Department of Medicine
Executive Vice Dean for
Education
Interim Senior Associate Dean for Biomedical Research, Chair of the Department of Immunology and Microbiology
Senior Associate Dean for Faculty,
Chief Well-being Officer
Interim Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Research, Interim Assistant Vice Chancellor for the Office of Vice Chancellor for Research
Interim Senior Associate Dean for Strategic Advancement, Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology
Senior Associate Dean
for Administration and Finance