The Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin introduced Allan Cole, Ph.D., as Dell Medical School’s deputy for health humanities and technology, effective July 1. In this newly created position, Allan will lead efforts across the University to integrate health affairs, the humanities, and health-related technologies on behalf of Dell Med—supporting meaningful impact and innovation.
Cole is currently dean of the Steve Hicks School of Social Work (SHS) and will continue in that role while also serving in this new role at Dell Med, effective July 1. He will collaborate with Claudia F. Lucchinetti, dean of Dell Medical School, in her capacity as UT’s senior vice president for medical affairs.
“I am grateful for Dean Lucchinetti’s vision and leadership, and for SHS’s partnership with Dell Medical School, and for our opportunity to be a part of the exciting work that includes health, humanities, and technology,” said Cole. “With the development of The University of Texas at Austin Medical Center and a new world-renowned MD Anderson Cancer Center on the Forty Acres, SHS faculty, staff, and students will be an integral part of both UT Austin and our city becoming the premier destination for health care, health-related research, and health social work.”
Cole will be working closely with Dell Med’s leadership, as well as other campus leaders, on strategic initiatives related especially to artificial intelligence and digital health, implementation science, ethics and bioethics, and patient- and community-centered models of care. This new role strengthens an existing strategic partnership that will also enhance Dell Med’s important and close connection with the Steve Hicks School of Social Work in the area of health social work. Sarah Sloan, SHS’s assistant dean for health affairs, will work closely with Cole as her role will evolve in supporting existing work in health humanities and technology, and identifying new strategic initiatives.
Along with being the Steve Hicks School’s dean, Allan is the Bert Kruger Smith Centennial Professor in social work and courtesy professor in Dell Med’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. He is also a longtime Longhorn who has served in a variety of high-level leadership and faculty positions in the University over the past 10 years.
About Allan
As a scholar, Dean Cole is a nationally recognized authority on chronic illness, health humanities, bereavement, and the study of spirituality and religion in social work. The author or editor of 15 books, his works include Counseling Persons with Parkinson’s Disease (Oxford University Press, 2021), and two books of poetry: Riding the Wave (Resource Publications, 2023); In the Care of Plenty (Resource Publications, 2021); Allan is also the author of dozens of chapters, articles, and reviews in volumes and journals related to the fields of social work, counseling, and the psychology of religion.
Much of Allan’s scholarship centers around caring for people living with Parkinson’s disease and other neurologic conditions. He moderates PD Wise, a resource he created for sharing personal stories, experiences, and wisdom gained from living with Parkinson’s, which encourages personal connections and opportunities for learning.