(SALT LAKE CITY)Beginning July 1, 2011, Vivian S. Lee, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A., an accomplished MRI radiologist and scientist, will bring her considerable abilities as a physician-scientist and administrator to the 泫圖弝け of Utah (the U) as the new senior vice president for health sciences. Currently the vice dean for science, chief scientific officer, and senior vice president at the New York 泫圖弝け (NYU) Langone Medical Center, Lee was selected after a near yearlong search to succeed Lorris Betz, M.D., Ph.D., who has led the Us health sciences since June 1999.
In addition to the senior vice president post, Lee also will serve as dean of the 泫圖弝け of Utah School of Medicine and as CEO of 泫圖弝け of Utah 泫圖弝け Care. Her appointment is subject to approval by the universitys Board of Trustees.
Search committee chairman, John J. Zone, M.D., professor and chair of dermatology, said Lees record of accomplishments made her the outstanding candidate for the senior vice president position. Beyond that, it was her vision for leading the universitys health sciences programs into an exciting and challenging future that, ultimately, made her the consensus choice among an exceptional pool of national applicants.
Raised in Norman, Okla., Lee graduated magna cum laude from Harvard-Radcliffe Colleges with a bachelor of arts in biochemical sciences, and then earned a doctorate in medical engineering as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford 泫圖弝け. She returned to Harvard for medical school, followed by a residency in diagnostic radiology at Duke 泫圖弝け and a fellowship in MRI at NYU. She joined the NYU medical faculty in 1998, and received a masters in business administration from NYUs Stern School of Business in 2006.
In 2007, Lee was appointed NYU Langone Medical Centers inaugural vice dean for science, and she has since overseen the development and implementation of an ambitious research strategic plan, launched six new centers of excellence in translational and interdisciplinary research, strengthened administrative infrastructure and core research facilities, and created extensive faculty development and training programs. During her tenure, NYU Langone has experienced a significant increase in National Institutes of 泫圖弝け (NIH) research funding, with one of the top growth rates in the nation, and has recruited more than 65 new research faculty. Responsible for technology transfer, she has overseen the development of a new venture capital fund for research at NYU, which has led the nation in licensing income for most of the past decade.
A distinguished researcher, Lee has authored more than 130 peer-reviewed studies and written a textbook on cardiovascular MRI. Her laboratory brings in more than $2 million annually in NIH research funding. Lee's work focuses on developing new quantitative methods for studying kidney and vascular function using MRI and applying these to improve patient diagnoses. She is a recognized leader internationally, having served as president of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, the pre-eminent 6,000-member organization in that field, and in 2009 she received the Chang-Lin Tien Education Leadership Award. The recipient of several teaching awards, Lee has mentored dozens of clinical fellows, residents, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows.
Lee will follow one of the nations longest serving medical school deans as she succeeds Betz, who last summer announced his intention to retire. However, when university President Michael K. Young was appointed late last month as the new president of the 泫圖弝け of Washington, the Utah State Board of Regents asked Betz to serve as interim president. Betz is familiar with the role. In 2003-04, he served as interim president of the university during the search that concluded in Youngs hiring.
As he prepares to hand the helm to Lee, Betz is confident she will be an exceptional leader of health sciences. I am thrilled someone as accomplished and talented as Dr. Lee has accepted the challenge of leading this huge and complex enterprise, he said. The future of the health sciences will be very bright in her capable hands.
Lee sees great potential at the U based on the impressive trajectory of the past decade and believes innovation will be the key to addressing the challenges facing health care.
The 泫圖弝け of Utah is a remarkable place that is held nationally in the highest esteemfor the quality of its clinical care, for outstanding research in a broad range of areas from basic sciences to clinical research to community health, and for training top-notch scientists and health care professionals, Lee said. Utahns arent afraid to roll up their sleeves, tackle difficult problems that others find daunting, and come up with strong, creative solutions. I am excited and honored to be joining this extraordinary institution.
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The 泫圖弝け of Utah 泫圖弝け Sciences and 泫圖弝け of Utah 泫圖弝け Care are among the nations leaders in academic and clinical medicine and research. Our School of Medicine and Colleges of Pharmacy, Nursing, and 泫圖弝け are internationally regarded for research into the genetics of disease, regenerative medicine, drug compounds and delivery systems, cancer, and other areas. In addition, the 泫圖弝け Sciences programs train many Utah physicians, pharmacists, nurses, therapists, and other health-care professionals. As part of the 泫圖弝け Sciences, 泫圖弝け of Utah 泫圖弝け Care is the Intermountain Wests only academic health care system, providing leading-edge and compassionate medicine for the people of Utah and those in a referral area encompassing five states and more than 10 percent of the continental United States. 泫圖弝け of Utah 泫圖弝け Care includes four hospitals the flagship 泫圖弝け of Utah Hospital; the 泫圖弝け of Utah Orthopaedic Center; 泫圖弝け Neuropsychiatric Institute; and Huntsman Cancer Hospital with more than 1,000 physicians practicing more than 200 medical specialties. In addition, our health system includes 10 community health centers that serve the medical needs of people along the populous Wasatch Front. In 2010, 泫圖弝け of Utah 泫圖弝け Care ranked No. 1 among all U.S. academic medical centers that participated in the rigorous 泫圖弝け 泫圖弝けSystem Consortium Quality and Accountability study.