By
Richard Clark
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Prez, provost head up committee to find new College of Medicine dean, VP for health sciences
The search for a new dean of the College of Medicine and vice president for health sciences will begin this semester.
University of Arizona Provost George Davis and President Peter Likins are heading up the search for a replacement for James Dalen, who currently holds both positions in the Arizona Health Sciences Center.
Dalen has been the dean of the College of Medicine since 1988. Dalen will be leaving his post July 1 to go on sabbatical.
This will be the first time that the university will search for someone to fill both positions at once.
The search for a replacement will be challenging, but the position is likely to attract some highly respected candidates for the unique opportunity, Davis said.
"Getting the right fit for the institution is a pretty big deal," he said. "There is a strong HMO environment in southern Arizona, which is a challenging environment for an academic center."
The search will begin in October after three committees finish outlining challenges and opportunities in three different areas that the candidate will face in the position.
The first committee will be examining the relationship between the clinical and research aspects of the hospital.
The second committee will be concerned with the state-wide role of the Arizona Health Sciences Center. The center is the only medical school and research facility in the state.
A third committee will examine the relationship between University Physicians Inc., the University Medical Center and the UA medical school.
The three groups and the search committee will be managed by William Dantzler, who heads the physiology department.
If a new replacement is found before Dalen leaves, the candidate will be appointed to the vice president position and work with Dalen.
Davis said Dalen is planning to go on a sabbatical for a year and then return as a volunteer faculty member in the College of Medicine.
"He has a passion about medical training - he is a significant scholar and had been the editor of a major journal - he has done a wonderful job," said Davis.
UA spokeswoman Sharon Kha said the state owes Dalen a debt of appreciation because he held the school together.
"James Dalen really took the College of Medicine through some of the toughest years the college has ever faced and kept it intact," Kha said.
