The University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine and the UCSD Department of Psychiatry recently appointed Dr. Ming T. Tsuang to the position of Endowed Chair in Behavioral Genomics. Dr. Tsuang, a member of the UCSD faculty since 2003, currently serves as a Distinguished University Professor of Psychiatry, director of the UCSD Center of Behavioral Genomics, and director of the Harvard Institute of Psychiatric Epidemiology and Genetics. Before joining UCSD, he also held appointments at the University of Iowa, Brown University, and Harvard Medical School. Dr. Tsuang earned his medical degree from National Taiwan University and his PhD and doctor of science degrees in psychiatric epidemiology and genetics from the University of London. Dr. Tsuang is internationally recognized for research in bipolar disease, schizophrenia, and substance abuse. He is engaged in large genetic linkage analyses of schizophrenia and heroin addiction. Dr. Tsuang has authored or coauthored nearly 600 publications and serves as the senior editor for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and section editor for the American Journal of Medical Genetics. A member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, Dr. Tsuang is a past recipient of numerous awards, including the Stanley Dean Award for Research in Schizophrenia, the National Institute of Mental Health Merit Award, the Noyes Award for Research in Schizophrenia, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Society of Psychiatric Genetics.
Dr. Fred Sanfilippo Accepts Leadership Position at Emory University
Dr. Fred Sanfilippo has joined the faculty of Emory University as the new executive vice president for health affairs, chief executive officer (CEO) of the Emory Woodruff Health Sciences Center, and chairman of the board of Emory Healthcare. Dr. Sanfilippo, an authority on transplant immunology, will succeed Dr. Michael M.E. Johns, who has been selected to serve as the next chancellor of Emory University. Dr. Sanfilippo joins Emory from Ohio State University (OSU), where he served as senior vice president, executive dean for health sciences, and CEO of the Ohio State University Medical Center. Dr. Sanfilippo earned his MD and his PhD in immunology from Duke University. He served on the Duke faculty for 14 years before moving to the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. In 2000, he was appointed to his positions at OSU. Dr. Sanfilippo has served as principal investigator for over $40 million in research grants. He has published more than 250 scientific papers and served in editorial positions for 13 journals. Dr. Sanfilippo is past-president of the American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Investigative Pathology. Dr. Sanfilippo's appointment became effective October 1, 2007.
University of New Mexico School of Medicine Names Executive Dean
Dr. Jeffrey Griffith has been appointed executive dean of the University of New Mexico (UNM) School of Medicine. Dr. Griffith, a member of the UNM faculty since 1982, most recently served as chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology within the School of Medicine. Dr. Griffith earned his undergraduate degree in biology from Portland State University. Dr. Griffith, author of over 60 original publications, has focused his research on the development of new prognostic markers for breast and prostate cancer. He is the state scientific director of the New Mexico Biomedical Research Initiative Network “NM-INBRE” Program and co-director of the UNM CRTC Women's and Hormone Responsive Cancers Program. Dr. Griffith assumed his duties on July 1.
Dennis Choi Appointed Head of Emory Neuroscience Programs
Dr. Dennis Choi recently joined the faculty of Emory University as executive director of the Neuroscience, Human Nature and Society Initiative and director of the Comprehensive Neuroscience Center within the Emory University Woodruff Health Sciences Center. He will also serve as a professor in the Department of Neurology at Emory University School of Medicine. Dr. Choi most recently served as a professor of pharmacology and experimental therapeutics at Boston University. He has held positions at a variety of institutions throughout his career, including Stanford University, Washington University School of Medicine, Barnes-Jewish Hospital, and Merck Research Labs. Dr. Choi earned his MD and PhD degrees from Harvard University School of Medicine and the Harvard-MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology, respectively. He also completed his residency and fellowship training in neurology at Harvard. Dr. Choi has focused his research on the mechanisms of neuronal cell death and the underlying mechanisms of brain and spinal cord injury. His research has earned him numerous awards, such as the Silvio O. Conte Decade of the Brain Award, the Christopher Reeve Research Medal, and the Ho-Am Prize in Medical Science. Dr. Choi is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a member of the executive committee of the Dana Alliance for Brain Research. He formerly served as president of the Society for Neuroscience and vice president of the American Neurological Association. As executive director of the Neuroscience, Human Nature and Society Initiative, Dr. Choi will oversee the development of neuroscience education, behavioral neuroscience and cognition, brain therapeutics, and molecular and translational imaging research. As director of the Comprehensive Neuroscience Center, he will work to integrate research, patient care, and education in neuroscience at the Emory University Woodruff Health Sciences Center. Dr. Choi joined the faculty of Emory University on August 1.
Tulane School of Medicine Announces New Senior Vice President and Dean
Dr. Benjamin P. Sachs was recently appointed to the positions of senior vice president and dean of Tulane University School of Medicine. Dr. Sachs was recruited to Tulane from Harvard Medical School, where he served as the Harold H. Rosenfield Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology; professor in the Department of Society, Human Development and Health at the Harvard School of Public Health; and chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Dr. Sachs earned his medical degree from the Imperial College in London and his degree in public health from the University of Toronto. He is renowned for his efforts in improving the safety and effectiveness of health care. In recognition of these efforts, Dr. Sachs and his team in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center recently received the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Health Care Excellence Award. In addition to his positions as senior vice president and dean of Tulane Medical School, Dr. Sachs will receive a distinguished endowed chair in medicine. Dr. Sachs' appointments became effective November 1, 2007.
University of Vermont College of Medicine Recruits New Dean
Dr. Frederick C. Morin III was recently named the next dean of the University of Vermont College of Medicine, succeeding Dr. John P. Fogarty, who has filled the position on an interim basis since July 1, 2006. Dr. Morin most recently served on the faculty of the University of Buffalo as the A. Conger Goodyear Professor and chair of Pediatrics in the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and chief of Pediatric Service for Women and Children's Hospital of Buffalo and Kaleida Health. Dr. Morin earned his undergraduate degree in biology from the University of Notre Dame and his medical degree from Yale University School of Medicine. He completed his residency in pediatrics at Stanford University and a research fellowship in neonatology at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Morin, author of over 70 original publications, is renowned for his research on persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn and the uses of nitric oxide. During his tenure at the University of Buffalo, Dr. Morin held positions on multiple steering committees, helping to direct the educational, research, and clinical goals of the institution. Dr. Morin's appointment became effective August 25, 2007.
Dr. Stephen R. Houser to Chair Temple University School of Medicine Department of Physiology
Dr. Stephen R. Houser, the Laura H. Carnell Professor of Physiology and the founding director of the Cardiovascular Research Center at Temple University, has been named the new chair of the Department of Physiology at Temple University School of Medicine. Dr. Houser has been affiliated with Temple for more than three decades. He earned his PhD in physiology and completed his fellowship in cardiology at Temple before joining the faculty full time in 1979. Dr. Houser's research interests have focused on the electrical and contractile properties of normal heart functions and the defects in these processes that lead to problems such as arrhythmias and congestive heart failure. His work has been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health since 1984. Dr. Houser has produced over 110 publications and book chapters, and in 2002, he was awarded the Temple University Faculty Award for Research. Dr. John M. Daly, dean of Temple University School of Medicine, said that “Dr. Houser is a skilled and dedicated teacher in both the classroom and the laboratory and…has already demonstrated an exceptional ability to build multidisciplinary research groups and to recruit talented new faculty members to Temple.”
The University of Texas Medical School at Houston Names New Dean
Dr. Giuseppe N. Colasurdo was recently appointed the new dean of The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, succeeding Dr. Jerry S. Wolinsky, who held the position on an interim basis since June 2006. Dr. Colasurdo has chaired the Department of Pediatrics of The University of Texas Medical School at Houston since 2005. Prior to that time, he held several positions at the school, including assistant professor of Pediatrics and head of the Division of Pulmonary Medicine. He has served as director of the school's fellowship training program in pediatric pulmonary medicine since 2001. Dr. Colasurdo earned his medical degree at G. D'Annunzio School of Medicine in Chieti, Italy. He completed his residency training at The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and his fellowship training in pulmonary medicine at the University of Colorado Health Science Center and the National Jewish Research and Medical Center in Denver. Dr. Colasurdo will continue to serve as chairman of the Department of Pediatrics while a successor is located. Dr. Colasurdo's appointment became effective September 1, 2007.
University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine Appoints Dean
Dr. Carmen A. Puliafito has been chosen to serve as dean of the University of Southern California (USC) Keck School of Medicine. He will succeed Dr. Brian Henderson, who resigned earlier this year to pursue his research interests full time. Dr. Puliafito has directed the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at the University of Miami since 2001. He also serves as chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Dr. Puliafito earned his medical degree from Harvard University Medical School and an MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Puliafito's tenure at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute witnessed a doubling of the institute's faculty size, significant growth in the institute's National Institutes of Health funding from thirty-fourth nationwide to fourteenth, and reclamation of the top position in the U.S. News & World Report's eye hospital rankings.
Dr. Puliafito's research interests focus on vitreoretinal diagnostics, laser technologies, ophthalmic education, and ophthalmology practice management. At USC, Dr. Puliafito will also serve as professor of ophthalmology and health management and will hold the May S. and John Hooval Dean's Chair in Medicine. Dr. Puliafito's appointment became effective November 1.
University of Alabama Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center Names New Director
Dr. Edward E. Partridge was recently appointed the new director of the University of Alabama Birmingham (UAB) Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Partridge, an expert clinician and researcher specializing in gynecologic cancer, has served as a member of the UAB faculty since 1976. He has held numerous positions since that time, including director of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology. He is presently the Margaret Cameron Spain Chair in Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. Partridge earned his medical degree from the UAB Medical School and completed his residency in obstetrics and gynecology at UAB. He completed cancer fellowships at UAB and with the American Cancer Society (ACS). Dr. Partridge has produced over 130 peer-reviewed publications and currently serves as the principal investigator for the Deep South Network for Cancer Control and the Morehouse School of Medicine/Tuskegee University/UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center Partnership. Dr. Partridge is also the chairman of the Board of the Mid South Division of the American Cancer Society and serves on the National Board of Directors of the ACS. The UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center is one of the original eight institutions to receive Comprehensive Cancer Center designation from the National Institutes of Health.