Indian-American physician-scientist Geeta Krishna Swamy is set to become the next dean of Boston University’s Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, beginning January 1, 2027. The appointment will bring her 22-year tenure at Duke University to a close and mark a new phase in a career spanning medicine, research and academic administration.
Swamy is an obstetrician-gynecologist and maternal-fetal medicine specialist whose professional work has centered heavily on women’s and children’s health. At Duke, she currently serves as the Haywood Brown, MD Distinguished Professor of Women’s Health, associate vice president for research and executive vice dean for clinical sciences and research administration.
Boston University selected Swamy following a national search. She will succeed Karen Antman, who left the dean’s position in 2025 after two decades of leadership. Hee-Young Park has served as interim dean since then.
Swamy has said that the opportunity to build stronger connections among Boston University, its medical school, Boston Medical Center and the surrounding community was a major attraction of the position. She said she intends to work with faculty, students, staff and institutional partners as she begins shaping the school’s next chapter.
Her career at Duke has included a range of clinical and administrative positions, including associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology, senior associate dean and vice dean-level roles connected to scientific integrity and research administration. She is also affiliated with Duke University Hospital and Duke Regional Hospital.
Swamy completed her undergraduate studies in public health and biostatistics and earned her medical degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She completed an obstetrics and gynecology residency at the University of Pittsburgh before pursuing maternal-fetal medicine training at Duke. She joined Duke’s faculty as an assistant professor in 2004.
Her research has addressed pregnancy-related infections, maternal immunization, premature birth and other health concerns affecting women and children. An early study examined long-term outcomes among children born prematurely and contributed to her receiving a National Institutes of Health Young Investigator Award for Perinatal Research in 2008.
She later investigated the impact of the 2009 H1N1 outbreak on women and conducted research involving influenza, pertussis and respiratory syncytial virus vaccines. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she participated in vaccine research at Duke, including work examining vaccination among pregnant women.
Swamy has authored more than 200 publications, according to reports cited in the original material. As Boston University’s 19th medical school dean, she will also help advance the institution’s longstanding relationship with Boston Medical Center Health System, its primary teaching hospital.
