The search committee for the new chair of the department of internal medicine has been announced by Bradley Britigan, M.D., dean of the College of Medicine.
The 13-member committee will be headed by Carl Smith, M.D., chair of the UNMC Department of OB/GYN and president of UNMC Physicians, the physician practice plan.
“I appreciate Dr. Smith’s willingness to lead this important search,” Dr. Britigan said. “I believe it is an excellent search committee which I’m confident will find us an outstanding individual equipped to lead the internal medicine department during one of the most challenging periods ever in the history of health care.”
With more than 180 physicians and scientists, internal medicine is the largest department within the UNMC College of Medicine. The department is organized by disease specialty into 10 divisions.
The search committee will be looking for a successor to Lynell Klassen, M.D., who announced last year that he desired to step down. Dr. Klassen, the Henry J. Lehnhoff Professor, is now in his ninth year as chair of the department.
A UNMC faculty member for more than 30 years, Dr. Klassen plans to return to a faculty position in the rheumatology division, continuing his clinical, research and teaching activities.
Other members of the search committee include:
Howard Fox, M.D., Ph.D., professor of pharmacology and experimental neuroscience and senior associate dean for research in the College of Medicine;
Dele Davies, Ph.D., professor of pediatrics and vice chancellor for academic affairs and dean of graduate studies;
Jane Meza, Ph.D., interim dean of the UNMC College of Public Health;
Rosanna Morris, chief nursing officer, clinical enterprise, and chief operating officer for The Nebraska Medical Center;
Cory Shaw, senior vice president, system provider network of the clinical enterprise;
Wendy Grant, M.D., associate professor of surgery and assistant dean for student affairs in the College of Medicine;
Craig Piquette, M.D., associate professor, internal medicine-pulmonary and staff physician, VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System
Sue Swindells, M.B.B.S., professor of internal medicine-infectious diseases and director of the UNMC Equity Office and faculty ombudsperson;
Jill Poole, M.D., associate professor, internal medicine-pulmonary;
Ken Cowan, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center;
James Armitage, M.D., Joe Shapiro Professor of Internal Medicine in the division of oncology/hematology and a past chair of internal medicine; and
Nate Anderson, M.D., a resident physician in internal medicine.