William Green, former chair of microbiology and immunology at Dartmouth Medical School, assumed the position of Dean of DMS following the resignation of former Dean Stephen Spielberg, College Provost Barry Scherr announced on Jan. 7.
According to Scherr, Spielberg's reasons for stepping down included his desire to advance therapeutic treatments for children and improve prevention of adverse drug reactions.
Green said he does not expect to be a permanent dean. During his tenure, he and Scherr will preside over a review of the governance structure and the organization of the health center at the medical school.
"The folks who are doing this study might like some opinions. I'd like to be able to do that, if they ask me, without any potential for conflict of interest," Green said. "I could give them straight talk without there being any appearance of an agenda on my part to position myself for renewal."
Green said the review is particularly timely because the hospital and the clinic, two separate entities, have recently altered their governance structures to include a co-presidency.
Following the review, Scherr and Green plan to launch a national search to find a permanent dean for DMS. Green, who requested a non-renewable contract, said he will step down after the search is completed. He expects the search to last a year.
Green does not have a medical degree, although he does have a Ph.D. He will appoint a senior associate dean for clinical affairs to help him with issues that might require the consultation of an M.D., Scherr said in an e-mail message. Scherr -- who, along with College President James Wright, helped choose Green for the position -- said that Green's Ph.D. should allow him to work well with the basic science departments at DMS.
Green said one of his main goals during his tenure as dean will be to foster communication and to encourage a stronger connection between DMS and the College as a whole.
"I think we need to continue to really pay attention to how we interface with the College and the College students. We have tremendous resources here," Green said. "I'm guessing there are a number of undergraduates who are interested in medical school. We, of course, see the ones who make it to our hallways and our labs, but I wonder if other students are aware of the many opportunities and how excited our principal investigators are to have undergraduates working in their labs."
Green said his priorities as dean include continuing various building projects, specifically cooperating with the College on the Biology and Life Sciences Building and constructing new buildings on the DMS campus; competing for grant renewals and new grants; and focusing on opportunities relating to the cancer center.
As dean, Green will oversee 16 departments, including basic science departments, such as biochemistry, and clinical departments, such as surgery. Green, who has been at Dartmouth for 20 years, will also represent the medical school on several College-wide committees and coordinate with administrators at the hospital and the clinic.
