Rod Markin, M.D., Ph.D., has been named interim dean of the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Medicine effective July 1.
The appointment, announced today by UNMC Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D., is pending approval by the University of Nebraska Board of Regents during their April 16 meeting.
Dr. Maurer said Dr. Markin will begin immediately to serve as executive associate dean. In this capacity, he will work closely with current Dean John Gollan, M.D., Ph.D., to help insure a smooth transition. After seven years as dean, Dr. Gollan, 68, will step down on June 30 and return to the internal medicine faculty.
Dr. Markin, the David T. Purtilo Distinguished Professor of Pathology and senior associate dean for clinical affairs in the College of Medicine, will continue to serve as president of UNMC Physicians, the physician practice group for UNMC and a post he’s held since 1997.
“Rod has demonstrated excellence as the leader of UNMC Physicians,” Dr. Maurer said. “In making the appointment, I took into account the changing landscape for the College of Medicine and our academic health center as a whole, engendered by health care reform. Rod is highly qualified to creatively and successfully navigate the college to high ground through the challenging waters ahead.”
A native of Lincoln, Dr. Markin is recognized nationally for his expertise in the pathology of liver transplantation. He has extensive knowledge of information technology systems and is a strong advocate for UNMC’s growing research portfolio and superior student performance, Dr. Maurer said.
“It is a great privilege and an honor to get to do this,” Dr. Markin said. “From an academic perspective, I grew up here. This is my home and I’m a stakeholder. At the end of the day, though, it’s the faculty that makes this place go. This is really a stewardship job.”
Dr. Markin is one of the most prolific inventors at UNMC. Last year, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from UNeMed Corporation for his innovations that have transformed the clinical laboratory. He earned his medical degree from UNMC in 1983 and his doctoral degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1980. He joined the UNMC faculty in 1986.
A national search for a permanent dean will begin after the April 16 Regents meeting, Dr. Maurer said.
As the state’s only academic health science center, UNMC is on the leading edge of health care. Breakthroughs are possible because hard-working researchers, educators and clinicians are resolved to work together to fuel discovery. In 2009, UNMC’s extramural research support topped $100 million for the first time, resulting in the creation of 3,600 jobs in Nebraska. UNMC’s academic excellence is shown through its award-winning programs, and its educational programs are responsible for training more health professionals practicing in Nebraska than any other institution. Through its commitment to education, research, patient care and outreach, UNMC and its hospital partner, The Nebraska Medical Center, have established themselves as one of the country’s leading health care centers. UNMC’s physician practice group, UNMC Physicians, includes 550 physicians in 50 specialties and subspecialties who practice primarily in The Nebraska Medical Center. For more information, go to UNMC’s Web site at www.unmc.edu.
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