Haustein Appointed Dean of MU School of Medicine Springfield Clinical Campus

David James Haustein, MD, MBA, has taken the position of associate dean of the Springfield Clinical Campus at the University of Missouri School of Medicine. His appointment is effective Sept. 1, 2020. Haustein will succeed two-year interim leader C. Mark Costley, MD.

“We are excited about Dr. Haustein joining our team,” said Steven Zweig, MD, MSPH, Hugh E. and Sarah D. Stephenson dean of the medical school. “He is an experienced leader in medical education. I also want to thank Dr. Mark Costley and all of the physician faculty and staff in Springfield who are committed to training our outstanding medical students.”

As associate dean, Haustein will oversee the clinical curriculum and work with the clerkship directors on the Columbia campus, the clinical curriculum steering committee and the associate clerkship directors at CoxHealth and Mercy to continue the concept of one medical school, two campuses.

“I am honored to serve in this position and eager for this new challenge of further strengthening the Springfield program,” Haustein said.

The MU School of Medicine opened the Springfield Clinical Campus in 2016 to address the state’s physician shortage, which is most dire in rural areas. MU medical students spend their first two years in Columbia and then have the option to study in Columbia or Springfield for their third and fourth years. Haustein knows how important advances in rural medicine can be for patients and how to use telehealth to deal with distance.

Haustein currently is an associate clinical professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation in the University of Louisville School of Medicine’s Department of Neurological Surgery, where he specializes in EMGs and peripheral nerve disorders. He also sees patients at the Robley Rex VA Medical Center as the medical director of the ALS and amputee clinics.

Additionally, he serves as the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) Director at the University of Louisville School of Medicine, co-director of the Distinction in Business and Leadership Track and is an advisory dean. He serves on several national committees and editorial boards and has contributed to more than 40 publications as well as national board examinations.

In addition to serving as associate dean and an associate professor of clinical physical medicine and rehabilitation, Haustein will begin clinical work this fall at Mercy Hospital in Springfield. He is board-certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation, with additional subspecialty certification in neuromuscular medicine.

Haustein’s professional experience and interests include electrodiagnosis (nerve conduction studies and EMGs) and the rehabilitation of neurologic and musculoskeletal disorders, as well as data analytics, clinical informatics, and medical education.

Haustein is no stranger to Missouri or the MU School of Medicine. He grew up in Chesterfield, Missouri. After receiving his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Harding University in Arkansas, he earned his medical degree and completed a PM&R residency at the University of Missouri School of Medicine.

Haustein has always had a passion for education and even deferred beginning medical school to explore teaching abroad for a year. This interest in medical education continued after residency and led to his move to Kentucky in 2009.

“After finishing residency, I knew I wanted to be a part of academics and have a career that centered upon serving others,” he said. “I thought the VA hospital in Louisville would be a great opportunity to both teach medical students and residents and also serve the veterans.”

Haustein discovered he enjoyed being a part of medical administration so much that he went back to school to earn a master of business administration at Bellarmine University in Louisville. After 11 years in Kentucky, Haustein is excited to return to Missouri and explore the Springfield area with his wife and four kids.

“It feels like we have a lot of connections here already, and even though we’ve never lived in Springfield, it feels like we’re moving to an area with a network of people to connect with and reconnect with,” he said.