Dr. Rosenquist to step down as UNMC vice chancellor for research

After masterminding the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s research initiative for the last 11 years, Tom Rosenquist, Ph.D., will step down June 30 as the medical center’s first vice chancellor for research.

He will resume his position as professor of genetics, cell biology and anatomy at UNMC and will continue his research in congenital heart defects.

 

Named director of research development in 1999, Dr. Rosenquist was then appointed the first ever vice chancellor for research in 2002 by UNMC Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D.

 

Under his tenure as vice chancellor, UNMC’s research funding has more than tripled going from $30.9 million in 1999 to more than $115 million in 2010. In addition, UNMC’s research enterprise expanded dramatically with the construction of the two Durham research towers.

 

“Tom has done an incredible job.  He has elevated our research from minor league status to the big leagues,” Dr. Maurer said. “We’ve come a long way and he has put us in position to soar to even greater heights. I’m thrilled in what I see in UNMC’s research future.”

 

Through his vice chancellor office, Dr. Rosenquist centralized UNMC’s research resources – from sponsored programs and clinical research to UNeMed and comparative medicine – into a more cohesive structure. He also has been one of the central architects of UNMC’s growing international research program.

 

In 2006, he started the annual Distinguished Scientist and Scientist Laureate program through which UNMC’s most productive scientists are recognized and rewarded.

 

A prolific researcher himself, Dr. Rosenquist has brought in more than $11 million in research funding to UNMC. This funding included a program project grant, considered one of the more prestigious grants a researcher can receive.

 

Over the years, his research has focused on congenital heart defects. Earlier this year, his group published a paper that proved a key role for folic acid in normal heart development. He also plans to further his research based on the 2002 patent of a unique theory of atherosclerosis, which has caught the attention of some pharmaceutical companies.

 

 

·                     1991 to 1999 — Chairman, UNMC Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy (now genetics, cell biology and anatomy);

·                     1973 to 1991 — Faculty member, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta.

·                     43 years of research, of which 25 years were devoted to congenital heart defects;

·                     Principal investigator of National Institutes of Health-funded research since 1976 and of non-profit agency grants since 1970; and

·                     Granted patents on research into receptor blockers that prevent atherosclerosis in 2000 and 2002.

·                     Ph.D., 1969, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans.

·                     1970 to 1973 — University of Southern California School of Medicine, Los Angeles.

 

 

“Under Tom’s leadership, research at UNMC has flourished. He has helped UNMC recruit outstanding faculty over the past decade resulting in nearly a four-fold increase in research funding. He has provided invaluable advice and guidance about building the research enterprise during his tenure as the first vice chancellor for research at UNMC.”

 

“Over the last decade, Dr. Rosenquist provided timely and unwavering support that maximized UNMC’s ability to compete and excel in the biomedical research arena. He was committed to, and succeeded in, modernizing our critically needed research infrastructure. It has been our distinct pleasure to work with him and we will dearly miss him.”

 

“We are very fortunate to have had Tom’s leadership at UNMC and the University of Nebraska. The growth in external research funding is very impressive and has outgrown the growth of available funding. Of equal importance, Tom’s leadership in supporting our existing investigators and bringing in impressive new researchers is a legacy we will continue to enjoy. Tom’s results in establishing collaboration with other University of Nebraska campus research efforts benefit the total university and the state of Nebraska. I am personally grateful for his leadership and impact and for the platform for continued progress he leaves.”