KU will witness historic changes this year as we prepare for transitions in our leadership.
H. David Wilson, MD, will take over as dean of the School of Medicine-Wichita on July 1, and Bernadette Gray-Little, PhD, will become the chancellor of the University starting Aug. 15. The Board of Regents also announced this morning that I will be serving as interim chancellor of KU from July 1 - Aug. 15.
Dr. Gray-Little comes to KU from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, where she served as vice chancellor and provost. She makes history by becoming the first woman and first African American to lead our university.
I look forward to working with Dr. Gray-Little to build on our excellence in education, research, and patient care. Since she comes to us from a university that already has an NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, I am confident she will be a tremendous asset to our institution as we continue our quest for NCI designation.
I also look forward to Dr. Wilson joining our SOM administration. He has served as dean and professor of pediatrics at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences since 1995 and was appointed vice president for Health Affairs for the university in 2001. The University of North Dakota has a similar structure to our Wichita campus, so he brings a tremendous amount of experience to the position.
When he starts in July, Dr. Wilson will have many tasks before him. He will focus on strengthening our graduate medical education training program and further enhancing our undergraduate medical education; building a more robust research infrastructure in Wichita; increasing the school’s profile and stature in the community and the state and preparing for the KU School of Pharmacy expansion at our Wichita campus.
Please join me in welcoming these two leaders in the coming months.
Bernadette Gray-Little, PhD, the 17th chancellor of the University of Kansas, spoke on the Lawrence campus Saturday after she was selected by the Kansas Board of Regents the previous day. Read more.
Kudos
Congratulations to Paul Callaway, MD, a clinical associate professor at the SOM-Wichita, who has been awarded the Nikitas J. Zervanos Outstanding Program Director Award from the American Academy of Family Physicians and the Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors. Read more from the Wichita Eagle.
Other Items of Interest
Our condolences go out to the family of Dr. George Tiller. Dr. Tiller was a 1967 graduate of the KU School of Medicine. Dr. Tiller is survived by his wife, four children, including a daughter who is also a KU School of Medicine alum, and a number of grandchildren.
Research
Award winners from the first Post-Doc Research Day were recently announced. Congratulations to those who received awards and to all who participated. See results.
Education
The annual School of Medicine retreat will take place on Friday, June 12. All faculty at KUMC are invited to the beginning of the retreat to hear our new chancellor, Bernadette Gray-Little, PhD, speak about her priorities. Register for the SOM faculty retreat.
Congratulations to Kelly Scott, a student in the School of Nursing, who was one of two people to receive the Jane Delano School of Nursing Scholarship from the American Red Cross. Read more.
The School of Medicine Family Medicine Interest Group has been chosen as one of the recipients of the 2009 Program of Excellence Award from the American Academy of Family Physicians. Congratulations.
Community
We had a great turnout at the Kansas City Heart Walk Saturday. As of yesterday, the Hospital and Medical Center were second in fundraising with $60,228.50. Thanks to all who participated.
Participants in the Africana Leadership Institute, comprised of government and education leaders from Nigeria, visited KUMC on May 27. They toured the Biomedical Research building, the Center for Advanced Heart Care and many of our other facilities. They were impressed with our campus and we were pleased to host them. See photos.