The office of Academic Affairs has broad responsibilities. Its overarching mission is to serve the faculty. One directive is to provide infrastructure and processes by which the faculty define educational objectives for medical students. Master teachers and key course directors are funded directly through Academic Affairs. College of Medicine faculty define expectations through the Curriculum Committee, which communicates with the Associate Dean and Assistant Dean of Curriculum for this purpose. Student Promotions and Advancement likewise falls within aegis of Academic Affairs.

A second directive is oversight of research activities. This falls directly under the Associate Dean for Basic Research and the Associate Dean for Clinical Research. Specific activities involve directing submission of proposals and assurance of compliance of funded grants and the support of all research activities through the Division for Research, Data and Information, providing the methodological resources for study design, sound statistical and epidemiological methods, and data collection, processing, management, and analysis.

The third directive focuses on faculty affairs, including Promotions and Tenure Committee. Adherence to faculty By-Laws is the responsibility of Academic Affairs. Progress of tenure-track, non-tenure track, and voluntary faculty are monitored.