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No. 2 Photo: Lucas Foglia  Edward Wing |
I am excited and honored to have been chosen as dean of medicine and biological sciences at Brown University. I am particularly looking forward to this position because of the outstanding reputation of the faculty and students in the Division.
For those of you who do not know me, I have been at Brown for the past ten years as chair of the Department of Medicine. I have spent that time growing what was already an excellent department. We consolidated the divisions and the practice plans and recruited more than 120 faculty. The clinical services have increased and now account for the majority of overall admissions at our affiliated hospitals. The faculty have taught medical students in each of the four years as well as our residents and fellows. By any measure, they have provided an absolutely outstanding educational experience. And finally, our research portfolio has quadrupled over the past ten years, raising the overall funding to the top third of departments in the country. Thus, I am particularly proud of the entire Department of Medicine and the progress that it has made. Dr. Lance Dworkin, the division chief of Nephrology and vice chair of the Department of Medicine for Research, is serving as interim chair. The search for a permanent chair of Medicine will be one of my high priorities.
The Division of Biology and Medicine has strengths and opportunities. Our strengths revolve around our outstanding research and educational programs. The faculty in the Program in Biology are doing cutting-edge research in areas as diverse as neurosciences, basic molecular and cellular biology, the biology of aging, evolutionary plant biology, and the effect of human behavior on climate change. The quality of the work is illustrated most recently by the election of Johanna Schmitt to the National Academy of Sciences. The Warren Alpert Foundation’s gift will provide new opportunities for the Program in Biology, particularly as we partner with our hospital colleagues in translational research. For example, there are exciting opportunities in neuroscience, bioengineering, oncology, and genomics and biobanking.
The Program in Public Health has grown exponentially in recent years. It has recruited outstanding new faculty, has vigorous and growing master’s and PhD programs, and has truly exciting clinical and epidemiological research. Opportunities exist in many areas, including global health, aging, and underserved populations. The program should continue to expand with the eventual goal of accreditation as a school of public health.
Having come from a hospital base at Lifespan I know that some of the greatest opportunities are within the clinical departments. The growth in these departments’ research and educational programs has been impressive. I believe that one of my most important tasks will be to maximize the strategic planning between faculty on the campus and faculty in our affiliated hospitals. In order to succeed and reach the next level both the hospital systems and Brown will need to align strategic plans, decide on joint programs and centers, and resource them together. This joint planning and execution will allow the Division to reach the top rank of medical schools in the country.
On a final note, one of my highest priorities will be the construction of the new medical education building for Alpert Medical School. It is my aim to decide quickly on the site and then to erect the building. It will stand as a symbol of Brown and its commitment to the Medical School. I look forward to working with all of you. With your help, we will make this one of the very best medical schools in the country.