John Gollan, M.D., Ph.D., dean of the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Medicine for nearly seven years, will step down as dean effective June 30 and return to a faculty post in the department of internal medicine as Stokes-Shackleford Professor.
The announcement was made this week by UNMC Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D., who praised Dr. Gollan for his leadership as dean.
“John led the college effectively during some challenging times,” Dr. Maurer said. “He has many strengths, but I always appreciated his gentle, caring personality and his delightful sense of humor. His list of accomplishments is substantial.”
Some of the notable accomplishments under Dr. Gollan included:
· Opening the Sorrell Center in 2008 to give the College of Medicine its first-ever home on campus and one of the most technologically advanced educational facilities in the country;
· Increasing the medical class size from 120 to 130 in 2008, the first increase in class size in 30 years;
· Engineering an affiliation agreement with Children’s Hospital & Medical Center in 2007 that will greatly enhance the quality of pediatric care in Nebraska.
Citing the unsettled environment with health care reform under way, Dr. Maurer said he is still considering what course of action to follow in seeking a new dean.
“It’s been a wonderful run,” Dr. Gollan said. “When you consider the average term of a medical school dean is less than three years, I feel blessed to have been given this incredible opportunity.”
Considered one of the foremost hepatologists in the world, Dr. Gollan looks forward to rejoining the internal medicine department and being able to teach and see more patients. At this stage of his career (he turns 68 next month), he will consider carefully whether to activate his research into liver disease.
A native of Australia, Dr. Gollan joined UNMC in 2001 when he was named chairman of the internal medicine department. His illustrious career has included appointments at some of the leading institutions in the world, including Harvard Medical School, the University of California, San Francisco, the University of London, and the University of Adelaide, South Australia.
He is past president of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and the International Association for the Study of Liver.
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.