John Gollan, M.D., Ph.D., the individual who has led the department of internal medicine the past two years, has been named dean of the UNMC College of Medicine.
The appointment, which is subject to approval of the University of Nebraska Board of Regents, would be effective Dec. 15. The announcement was made today by UNMC Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D.
Strong and innovative leadership of the College of Medicine is critical to the current and future success of UNMC during these exciting times, Dr. Maurer said. Dr. Gollan has the ability and experience to lead the COM to new achievements. We share a common vision. He exemplifies the best in academic medicine. I am delighted to have attracted him to our senior leadership team.
Dr. Gollan succeeds James Armitage, M.D., who has served as dean since April 1, 2000. Like Dr. Gollan, Dr. Armitage headed the internal medicine department prior to becoming dean.
Dr. Armitage did an outstanding job as dean during the most challenging period in the past decade, Dr. Maurer said. I am grateful for his tremendous service to UNMC, particularly during the period of merger of the two hospital cultures. I am very pleased that Jim will resume his position on the faculty as a world leader in lymphoma patient care, education and research.
We were very fortunate to recruit Dr. Gollan two years ago, Dr. Armitage said. Not only is he a wonderful administrator, but he also is considered one of the foremost hepatologists in the world. I have no doubt that he will do a great job of leading the College of Medicine.
A native of Australia, Dr. Gollan, sees tremendous opportunities in the College of Medicine. Extraordinary opportunities abound, he said. This is an opportune time to catch the wave and move the College of Medicine and UNMC into the big league.
Dr. Gollan said he will focus on research development; work as an integral part of UNMCs hospital partner, The Nebraska Medical Center, to ensure that the medical center is on the leading edge of patient care; and further develop UNMCs strengths in education. As we move forward its also important to remember our responsibility to our community and this region, he said.
Dr. Gollan, 61, brings a wealth of experience to his new position. Prior to coming to UNMC in 2001, he served 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.
He also served as director of the Hanson Research Institute, 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 and later at the Massachusetts General Hospital. At Harvard, he was responsible for establishing a liver disease program and served as director of the division of gastroenterology and hepatology from 1989 to 1999.
Dr. Gollan said he and his wife, Roseanne, have thoroughly enjoyed their past two years in Nebraska. When we were in Australia, we missed the buzz of the American medical scene. Were adopted Americans, he said. I really enjoy working with people and get my jollies from building, developing and improving systems. The tremendous philanthropy and community support for UNMC is extraordinary.
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, research and education.
Throughout his career, Dr. Gollan has continued to attend on the medicine wards and clinics and to be actively involved in the teaching of medical residents, fellows and staff members. He hopes to continue this tradition as dean.
He has served on a large 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, the Association of American Physicians, and is a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in London, the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and the American College of Physicians.
His research is devoted to liver cell and molecular biology, and in particular the transport and metabolism of iron and the regulation of the proteins responsible for these processes. Dr. Gollan has published more than 80 articles and 45 book chapters in scientific journals, and hes made more than 170 abstract presentations at scientific conferences.
As chairman of the department of internal medicine, Dr. Gollan oversaw 12 sections and more than 140 faculty, 230 staff and 85 house officers. It is by far the largest department in the College of Medicine.
The Gollans have three grown children who all reside in the U.S. Oldest daughter, Jackie, has her Ph.D. and is a psychologist on the faculty at the University of Chicago; son, Tim, is also a M.D., Ph.D., who is in his medical residency at Stanford University; and daughter, Jenny, completed a masters degree in journalism at the University of Southern California and is a news reporter in the San Francisco area.
Dr. Maurer praised the work of the search committee, which was chaired by Jon Thompson, M.D., professor and executive vice chairman of the UNMC department of surgery.