Johan Bester has been appointed as the associate dean for curriculum at the University of Georgia School of Medicine, with his tenure beginning on January 1, 2026. Bester brings extensive experience in medical education and curricular development to the role.
Before joining the University of Georgia, Bester was associate dean for pre-clerkship curriculum at Saint Louis University School of Medicine, where he also served as a professor in family and community medicine and health care ethics. He previously held leadership roles at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, including assistant dean for biomedical sciences education and director of bioethics. His clinical background spans family medicine and emergency medicine in several countries, including the United States, South Africa, United Kingdom, and Canada.
Bester is known internationally as a speaker on topics such as medical ethics and active learning. He has contributed to over 40 peer-reviewed publications and has written or edited multiple books.
In his new position as inaugural associate dean for curriculum at the School of Medicine, Bester will oversee strategic development and innovation in curricular design. At Saint Louis University, he led efforts to shift toward active learning and evidence-based educational practices.
Shelley Nuss, founding dean of the School of Medicine at UGA, said: “As we set out to create a world-class learning environment for our future students, I look forward to Dr. Bester’s leadership, in collaboration with our faculty, in crafting a curriculum that trains excellent physicians. His years of experience in medical education leadership and rich background in curriculum design and implementation will be an asset to our administration and will be essential for student success.”
Explaining his motivation for taking on this role at UGA’s new medical school, Bester said: “There is an opportunity here at UGA to build a medical school that will make an impact in Georgia and beyond. Medical education is a public good, something that makes the world better, and I was drawn to this position at the School of Medicine because of the unique ways in which we can contribute to society and the world at large.”
He described plans for a rigorous curriculum designed to help students address complex healthcare situations while focusing on patient care: “The biggest impact we make is through developing physicians who will go out and do good in the world,” Bester said. “We want to train physicians with the desire and aptitude to make the societies they serve better and to go and solve the health care problems we face in Georgia and in the United States. A strong curriculum is essential for this. We must help our students develop the ability and insight to be agents for good that will help people, relieve suffering and bring healing where there is brokenness.”
Bester holds degrees from Stellenbosch University in South Africa: Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery (2002), Master of Philosophy (2009), and Ph.D. in applied ethics (2016).
