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In This Issue:
Victor J. Dzau, MD, will be stepping down as chairman of the Department of Medicine at BWH and Hersey Professor of Physic (Medicine) at Harvard Medical School, as he has accepted the appointment of Chancellor for Health Affairs at Duke University, effective July 1. In his role as chancellor, Dzau will also serve as the president and chief executive officer at Duke University Health System.
Dzau has been an extraordinary presence at BWH since he came here as a medical resident in 1973. Since becoming chairman in 1996, he has built and supported one of the premier academic and research departments in the world. During his tenure, Dzau significantly expanded staff and faculty and brought increased funding to the Department of Medicine, nurturing the highest quality clinical and teaching programs in the nation.
He has also continued to expand the global view of Medicine’s mission by enriching the existing epidemiological and traditional programs with the addition of six new divisions to address unmet needs in medicine, and in response to new opportunities and developments. Some of the divisions Dzau established include Social Medicine and Health Inequalities, Women’s Health, and Pharmacoepidemiology.
In his role as the BWH Director of Research, Dzau created and led the hospitalwide Research Council. Believing that research should be without walls, he created the council in 1997 to address research strategic directions, planning and development at the institutional level. The Department of Medicine is well-represented on the Council and participates in the planning and implementation of interdisciplinary and innovative research programs, core facilities, technology transfer, clinical investigation and career development. Through the hospital’s research reinvestment plan, the Research Council is able to fund seed grants, fellowships and programmatic initiatives.
“Victor’s outstanding mark on our institution has fortified BWH’s reputation as a premier academic medical center. We are grateful that we have had the benefit of his great leadership, vision and friendship,” said BWH President Gary L. Gottlieb, MD, MBA, who explained that organizational plans to manage a smooth transition as well as a search for Dzau’s successor will be announced soon.