A message from Dr. Lichter

It is with mixed emotions that I announce I will be leaving the University for a new challenge: Executive Vice-President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), with headquarters in the Washington, D.C. area. I will step down as Medical School dean July 31 and leave the University Sept. 30.

Serving as dean of this outstanding Medical School for the past 7 1/2 years has been the most exciting and rewarding experience of my career. I respect that deans are stewards of their institutions for a limited period of time, building on the success of those who came before them and creating a foundation for further accomplishments to be achieved by those who follow. Deans must lead, guide and sometimes, cajole, but ultimately it is the faculty and staff who determine what happens at great places like Michigan – and all of you have indeed made great things happen. I am especially proud of what we have achieved together:        

• A sense of community. We are a community of scholars with shared values and goals. We wrote and adopted the first faculty bylaws in the history of the School and continue today with such events as the annual new faculty orientation, faculty awards, new faculty dinners, dean’s breakfasts and dean’s lecture series. Our faculty and staff remain among the finest in the country; we continue to bring on top-flight scientists, clinicians and educators.
  
• Recruitment and support of the finest students. Through the work of many, we have significantly increased the yield of top-ranked students. We made relief of medical student debt a priority, and now give out more scholarship funding than any medical school in the nation – more than $8 million annually.
• Support for our exceptional research engine. Establishing our reputation as one of the leading research institutions occurred long ago; keeping that engine running is a constant goal. The Endowment for the Basic Sciences helped knit together the basic science infrastructure into a more cohesive group. Seed grants and other initiatives, as well as outstanding new facilities that have come online recently, are examples of how we have collectively worked to support this critical part of our mission.
• Transformation of the financial operations of the School. We are focusing less on what we’ve done and more on where we’re going using real-time data to navigate the future effectively. We remain as financially sound as any academic medical center in the world, and with the resources we have assembled at Michigan we can accomplish anything to which we commit ourselves. As strong as we are today, our potential is almost limitless.

Through all of this work I have been privileged to serve with an outstanding group of Department Chairs and Assistant/ Associate deans. These leaders -- working with the leadership of the Hospital, Health System and University, and with our superb faculty and staff -- have achieved the results and plotted the course to ensure the continued success of the Medical School. I particularly want to mention Dr. Jim Woolliscroft, who has served so ably as Executive Associate Dean for the last seven years.

Directing ASCO represents an exciting new challenge for me, one that I am eager to undertake. It takes me back to my roots in Oncology, yet offers the prospect of fresh opportunities and issues to tackle. The lessons you have taught will serve me well in this new post. But Evie and I are very sad to leave Ann Arbor after 22 years on the faculty. We will miss the friendship and warmth of this wonderful place. Even though I will be working elsewhere, I remain a loyal alumnus of this School and University.

I will enjoy watching and taking pride in your continued efforts to move our School to even greater levels of accomplishment in the years ahead.

Allen Lichter, M.D.

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A celebration of Allen Lichter’s success

It’s never easy to lose a great leader; it’s even harder when the leader is a good friend, too. Such is the case with Allen Lichter. Allen announced today that he is leaving his post as dean of our Medical School to take on a prestigious new role: executive vice president and chief executive officer of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. He will step down as dean July 31 and retire from the faculty Sept. 30.

I can’t deny it is difficult to see him leave – personally and professionally. We have known each other for years, starting with our serving as department chairs at the same time more than 20 years ago. In fact, I was serving on the Executive Committee of the Medical School at the time that Allen was recruited from the National Cancer Institute to head up our Department of Radiation Oncology. I watched him develop it into what remains an outstanding and exceptionally well-regarded department nationally.

But rather than dwell on what we’re losing, I’d prefer to expound on what we’ve gained through Allen’s tenure as dean, because when you look at it you’ll quickly run out of superlatives.

In less than a decade, the Medical School – under Allen’s leadership – has been transformed.

His team introduced a new curriculum – one of the first in the nation -- that puts students in patient care settings earlier and emphasizes better communication skills so they are prepared to deal with an increasingly diverse patient population. Never one to rest on his laurels, Allen already is looking ahead and has a team working on an innovative curriculum that will meet the needs of tomorrow’s medical student through content and delivery changes.

He saw the power of collaboration, and encouraged it through joint efforts with many of our schools – creating new partnerships or enhancing those that already existed. As part of the Health System’s leadership team, he and others worked to align the priorities of our various entities so that we operated in sync rather than in opposition.

In the face of dwindling dollars from the National Institutes of Health, Allen and his team have ensured we continue to keep a large piece of the pie through the recruitment and retention of stellar faculty researchers whose influential science is garnering support. The Medical School comprises nearly 50 percent of the University’s total research funding. Our clinical faculty enjoy national reputations for their expert patient care. Overall, our clinical strength is broad and deep.

Allen has been a prolific fund-raiser in support of the Medical School’s mission. While dean, an astonishing 70+ endowed professorships were established and Allen personally presided over 43. That’s just one example of the phenomenal growth in philanthropy that has occurred in the past 7 1/2 years.

He has had great forethought on facilities planning to meet the burgeoning and changing needs of our researchers and educators. His input and guidance is seen in our spectacular landscape – one that is ever-expanding.

Finally, Allen has spent years building the Medical School team, recruiting leaders who are rock-solid in their creativity, commitment and competence. He will leave the Medical School in a position of tremendous strength in every regard.

So today I’m going to celebrate Allen’s success and I hope you will as well. That a medical society of international renown is interested in seeking his guidance is not surprising. We are the place where people come when they want exceptional leaders to carry out important work. And while I never want to lose great people, I do feel incredible pride in the fact that one of our own has been tapped for such a far-reaching position.

Thank you, Allen, for your inspired leadership and your substantial contributions throughout your many years at the U-M. You have enriched this institution, and I’m grateful for your efforts.

We wish you and Evie well in your exciting new adventure in Washington.

We will honor Allen with a reception in the coming months; details will follow soon.

Bob Kelch

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Message from the Provost's Office

Dear Colleagues,

We are grateful to Allen Lichter, M.D., for his excellent leadership of the Medical School during the past eight years. The School has flourished during Dr. Lichter’s tenure as dean. We all owe him our gratitude.

There have been many successes in the School under Dr. Lichter’s leadership, detailed in an earlier message at www.med.umich.edu/evpma/. The School will benefit from Dr. Lichter’s leadership for years to come.

Interim selected; pending Regental approval
In review and discussion with the Board of Regents‚ Personnel, Compensation and Governance Committee, and pending approval by the Regents, we and President Coleman are pleased to announce the appointment of James O. Woolliscroft, M.D., as interim dean of the Medical School, effective Aug. 1, 2006. This appointment will remain in effect until a permanent dean has been appointed.

Dr. Woolliscroft received his Bachelor of Science, summa cum laude, from the College of Biological Sciences at the University of Minnesota, and received his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Minnesota. He completed his internship and residency and served as chief medical resident at the University of Michigan, and began his academic career here. He currently is the executive associate dean of the Medical School.

Dr. Woolliscroft brings breadth and depth to this role. He has achieved international prominence in the field of medical education, and has had departmental and Medical School leadership roles in both undergraduate and graduate medical education. In 1995, he was the first recipient of the Josiah C. Macy Jr. Professor of Medical Education Endowed Professorship, awarded through a national competition. In 2001 he received the Lyle C. Roll Endowed Professorship in Medicine. He served as the chief of Clinical Affairs in the Hospitals and Health Centers and assistant dean for Clinical Affairs. Since 1999, Dr. Woolliscroft has served as the executive associate dean, and also served as acting dean for four months in Dean Lichter’s absence.

More recently, his interests have broadened to include international education and the use of technology to enhance educational experiences both here and abroad. He currently serves as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Medical School of Shanghai Jiao Tong University; a member of the review group for Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar; and a member of the International Advisory Committee, Peking Union Medical College in Beijing, China. He has published nearly 100 juried manuscripts and authored or contributed to eight books.

Suggestions for search committee sought
We intend to appoint a search advisory committee early in the new academic year. We would appreciate having your suggestions for committee chair and committee members -- both faculty and staff -- by the end of August. This is also a good opportunity for you to share with us your thoughts about the most pressing issues facing the Medical School during the next several years. This information will help us, President Coleman and the search advisory committee in choosing the next dean.

Please send your feedback on the search advisory committee and the issues using the following e-mail address: mepaine@umich.edu

Thank you very much for your help and your support. We look forward to working with you to assure a smooth transition and the future health of the Medical School.

Sincerely,

Teresa A. Sullivan, provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs of the University of Michigan

Robert P. Kelch, M.D., executive vice president for Medical Affairs of the University of Michigan and chief executive officer of the U-M Health System

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