Dr. Douglas Girod

Dr. Douglas A. Girod began as the eighteenth Chancellor of the University of Kansas in July 2017. As one of just 62 invited members of the prestigious Association of American Universities, KU is one of the nation’s leading research universities. The university has more than 28,400 students on five campuses in Lawrence, Kansas City, Overland Park, Wichita, and Salina.

Today, Dr. Girod seeks to make KU a destination for top students and scholars from around the country by working to elevate the student experience, expand the university’s outreach to the state, and enhance KU’s research enterprise.

During his first two years as chancellor, KU established a new budget model that aligned funding to match key university priorities, recruited the most academically talented freshman class in its history, and established Kansas Team Health, a groundbreaking new partnership that provides the best medical care possible for KU student-athletes.

Before becoming chancellor, Dr. Girod served as Executive Vice Chancellor at KU Medical Center, where he oversaw the educational, research, patient care, and community engagement missions of the schools of Medicine, Nursing, and Health Professions.

A head-and-neck surgeon, Dr. Girod first joined the KU Medical Center faculty in 1994 and quickly rose through the academic ranks, becoming chair of the Otolaryngology department in 2002. In that role, he was instrumental to the University of Kansas Health System being named in the U.S. News & World Report “Best Hospitals” national rankings.

Dr. Girod earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Davis and his medical degree from the University of California at San Francisco. He served in the United States Navy Reserve from 1982 until 1997, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Commander and earning the Meritorious Service Medal.

Committed to caring for patients throughout the world, Dr. Girod has led or participated in a dozen international medical missions in places such as Uganda, Guatemala, Mali, the Philippines, and Mexico. Dr. Girod also has been active within the community, serving on the board of the Civic Council of Kansas City and on boards of the chambers of commerce in Lawrence and Greater Kansas City. He also serves on the Board of Directors at the Big 12 Conference and at the University Innovation Alliance. He is on the steering committee for the regional civic community effort known as KC Rising to develop long-term economic prosperity for the Kansas City region.

Dr. Girod has served as President of the American Head and Neck Society and Vice President of the Triological Society, in addition to other national leadership roles. Of his numerous awards and honors, he is perhaps most proud of his 2006 Student Voice Award for Teaching on a Surgical Rotation, bestowed by students at the University of Kansas School of Medicine.