Raymond H. Curry, MD, FACP is senior associate dean for educational affairs at the University of Illinois College of Medicine, and Professor of Medicine and Medical Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago.  As chief academic officer at one of the nation’s largest medical schools, he oversees   educational programs across the college’s campuses in Chicago, Peoria, and Rockford.

A native of Lexington, Kentucky, Dr. Curry is a graduate of the University of Kentucky and of the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.  He completed residency training in internal medicine at Northwestern University/McGaw Medical Center in 1985, and then joined the faculty in general internal medicine.  From 1998-2014 he served as vice dean for education at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, overseeing all aspects of undergraduate, graduate, and continuing medical education. In directing graduate medical education throughout the Northwestern system, he also served as president of the McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University.  He was recruited to the University of Illinois College of Medicine in 2015 to lead a comprehensive revision of the medical school curriculum.

Dr. Curry’s academic interests include the study and teaching of doctor-patient communication, access to medical education for those under-represented in the profession, including students with disabilities, and the history of medical education.  With regard to the latter focus, he is currently pursuing a masters degree in medical history at Johns Hopkins University.  In 2021 he was appointed to the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), the accrediting body for MD-degree programs in the US, having been a regular accreditation site reviewer for the LCME since 1996.  He also currently serves as a member of the Advisory Council for the Chicago Area Schweitzer Fellowships. He is a charter member and fellow of the Academy of Communication in Healthcare and has served on its governing board (2015-20). Other prior organizational leadership includes service on the Governor’s Council for the Northern Illinois chapter of the American College of Physicians (1996-2008), and on the board of the Provident Foundation (2014-19).

Among his awards and honors, he is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and of Alpha Omega Alpha, and a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and of the Academy of Communication in Healthcare.  As a clinician in general internal medicine, he was listed annually in America’s Best Doctors® from 1999 through 2020.  In 1991 Dr. Curry was named the first Augusta Webster Faculty Fellow in Medical Education at Northwestern, and in 1995 he received the Dean’s Award for Teaching Excellence.  In 1998 he was presented with the Distinguished Service Award of the Department of Medicine, and he was the 2003 Laureate of the Northern Illinois Chapter of the American College of Physicians. In 2014, the Raymond H. Curry, MD Professorship in Medical Education was endowed at Northwestern by an anonymous donor.  Most recently, he received the 2018 Dean’s Distinguished Service Award from the University of Illinois College of Medicine in recognition of his leadership in curriculum reform.

Dr. Curry and his wife, Dr. Kristi Kirschner, are the parents of two adult sons and reside in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago.

Research Interest

ORCID 0000-0003-3381-0125

Research and Teaching Interests

Dr. Curry’s academic interests include the study and teaching of doctor-patient communication and the role of learner-centered educational methods in promoting patient-centered care. He also focuses on the  enhancement of access to medical education for those under-represented in the profession, including students with disabilities, and has extensive experience in curriculum development and in medical school accreditation.