Amanda J. Bassett (she/her/hers)
Director of Development for Alumni Affairs and Giving
Yale School of Medicine
We caught up with Amanda Bassett to discover more about her, what she’s up to, and what we can learn from her.
Briefly describe your current role.
As the Director of Development for Alumni Affairs and Giving, I serve on the senior leadership team that provides strategic direction and executive leadership in planning and executing a comprehensive fundraising and engagement program. In my role, I am the principal strategist for alumni relations and fundraising from alumni at the Yale School of Medicine.
Briefly describe your career journey and what led you to institutional advancement in academic medicine.
Out of college, I took my first job as a fundraising coordinator at the Muscular Dystrophy Association of New Mexico. There I built community partnerships across the state, raising money to fund a clinic at the University of New Mexico Hospital. It was there I was first exposed to academic medicine. I was so inspired by the work happening at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine that when an opportunity arose in the Office of Advancement, I knew it was my next step. It was in that role I found my calling. I rose through the ranks at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, then transitioned to the Director of Alumni Engagement and Strategic Events at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth and Dartmouth Health before taking the role of Director of Development for Alumni Affairs and Giving at the Yale School of Medicine.
What achievement in your current job are you proud of?
I am celebrating my one-year anniversary at Yale School of Medicine, and I am most proud of our recent formal announcement of the inclusion of former residents and fellow trainees now being recognized as alumni. Getting this off the ground was one of my first priorities and has increased our alumni base by more than 10,000 constituents.
What success have you achieved with limited resources?
One of my favorite success stories of my career thus far is establishing the Office for Community Faculty at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. This was an endeavor the Executive Vice Dean at the time, Dr. Martha McGrew, was very interested in getting off the ground, as preceptors in the state of New Mexico are vital to the education mission of the school. But there was virtually no budget. Given the mission of the UNM School of Medicine, a majority of alumni are retained in the state, so it made sense from an alumni perspective for me to help establish this office as an entry point for alumni engagement. While I eventually moved on from the UNM School of Medicine, that office is still thriving and something I feel particularly proud of.
What is a challenge that you/your unit/your institution are/is facing and how are you addressing it?
One of the biggest challenges my team at the Yale School of Medicine is currently facing is recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce. I think all of our shops have been working to stabilize in the post-pandemic environment, and recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce is something here at Yale we are really working to refine, as we have had a couple of years of major transition. So, if you are looking to join a growing team, let me know!
What innovation or trend in the field inspires or motivates you?
I am very inspired by AI. Historically, academia has been slow to embrace change. As organizations are thinking about how to ethically and effectively use AI, I think there is a huge opportunity for Advancement shops to transform the way we do our business, and I am here for all of it!
What advice do you have for other institutional advancement professionals in academic medicine?
The best advice I have for anyone in academic medicine is advice one of my mentors gave me: “Lean in”—
- to organizations like the GIA, which has been critical to my success in academic medicine. The opportunity to learn from and with your peers is incredibly valuable. The relationships you develop with your peers not only within your discipline but also across the continuum of academic medicine are critical to your professional development as a leader in academic medicine.
- to thinking differently and working with your leadership to tackle the BIG issues facing healthcare and academic medicine.
- to things that are uncomfortable—this is where you will learn the most!
Previous Member Spotlights
We want to shine the light on you! If you want to connect with others, share stories, and highlight best practices by being featured in the Member Spotlight, please contact gia@aamc.org for submission guidelines.