John Gollan, M.D., Ph.D. an internationally acclaimed expert in liver
disease has been named professor and chairman of the Department of Internal
Medicine, the largest department of the UNMC College of Medicine.
The appointment, which is subject to approval of the University of Nebraska
Board of Regents, would be effective July 1. The announcement was made
today by James Armitage, M.D., dean of the UNMC College of Medicine and
the person who served as chairman of the Department of Internal Medicine
from 1990 to 2000.
Dr. Gollan is a fantastic person, Dr. Armitage said. Were incredibly
lucky to get him. Without question, he is considered one of the foremost
hepatologists in the world.
A native of Australia, Dr. Gollan, 59, has served the past two years
as head of the Department of Medicine at the University of Adelaide, South
Australia, and director of the Internal Medicine Service at Royal Adelaide
Hospital, an 850-bed hospital, which is the principal teaching hospital
in the university system. In addition, he serves as director of the Hanson
Research Center, a major biomedical research institution in Australia.
The University of Adelaide is Dr. Gollans alma mater, as he earned his
medical degree from there in 1971. Adelaide is a city with a population
of about 1.3 million.
During his career, Dr. Gollan has worked in Australia, England and the
United States. After earning his medical degree, he spent four years at
the Royal Free Hospital at the University of London, where he acquired
his doctorate in biochemistry in 1977.
Dr. Gollan then served five years on the faculty of the University of
California, San Francisco, where he worked in the Liver Center in the area
of liver cell biology. In 1981, he moved to the Harvard Medical School
in Boston, where he was located at Brigham and Womens Hospital. He was
responsible for establishing a liver disease program in this system and
served as director of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology from
1989 to 1999.
Dr. Gollan said he and his wife, Rosanne, are excited about their move
back to the U.S. We miss the buzz of the American medical scene. Were
adopted Americans, he said. We found many positives about coming to Nebraska.
We have enjoyed the genuine nature of the people we have met and the pride
that they have in the Medical Center.
I get my jollies working hard to build, develop and improve systems.
The tremendous philanthropy and community support for UNMC is really encouraging.
I look forward to being part of the next generation of the Medical Center.
Indicative of his strong feelings about academic medicine, Dr. Gollan
said, Im a great believer that its important to try to maintain focus
on patient care, education and research. Ill try to do all three for as
long as I possibly can.
Throughout his career, Dr. Gollan has continued to attend on medicine
wards and clinics and to be actively involved in the teaching of resident
physicians and fellows.
He has served on a number of national committees and is past president
of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and the International
Association for the Study of Liver. He also has served on the governing
board of the American Gastroenterological Association. Among his other
honors, Dr. Gollan is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation
and the Association of American Physicians, and is a fellow in the Royal
College of Physicians in London.
His research is devoted to liver cellular and molecular biology, and
in particular the transport and metabolism of drugs in the liver and the
regulation of enzymes responsible for these processes. Dr. Gollan
has published more than 80 articles and 40 book chapters in scientific
journals, and hes made more than 160 abstract presentations at scientific
conferences.
As chairman of the Department of Internal Medicine, Dr. Gollan will
oversee 12 sections and more than 110 faculty, 230 staff and 85 house officers.
Moving to Nebraska will have one additional benefit for the Gollans
it will put them closer to their three grown children who all reside
in the U.S. Oldest daughter, Jackie, is a psychologist at Harvard Medical
School in Boston; son, Tim, is in the final year of his M.D., Ph.D. program
at the University of Massachusetts; and daughter, Jenny, is completing
her masters degree in journalism at the University of Southern California.