A 14-member School of Medicine search committee will soon begin searching for candidates to fill the position Aram Chobanian vacated in November when he left to become Boston University’s president ad interim.
The committee, which was formed last week, will search for a person to take the school’s deanship and the Boston University Medical Campus’ provost position. The committee hopes to have a short-list of candidates by the end of the semester and a new dean in place by the summer, BU Pulmonary Center Director and committee-member Dr. Jerome Brody said.
Acting MED Provost Dr. Norman Levinsky, who will head the search committee, said MED began the search about a week ago by placing paid advertisements in major medical journals, such as Academic Medicine. The committee also asked members of the MED faculty to nominate potential candidates.
Since the dean will be in charge of managing the academic, financial and administrative aspects of the medical school, Levinsky said whoever fills the position will have a considerable number of responsibilities.
“The dean is very influential in deciding how to handle both student and faculty issues,” he said.
Brody said his ideal candidate would be “very well-rounded with superb intrapersonal skills and administrative experience dealing with large organizations.”
In addition, Levinsky said the MED dean will serve as the provost of the entire medical campus, which includes the School of Public Health and Goldman School of Dental Medicine.
Levinsky said the search committee consists of 12 faculty members and two student members and will be responsible for interviewing applicants and condensing the pool of candidates. Chobanian will ultimately select the new dean from the recommended candidates and, in accordance with the BU Faculty Handbook, his choice will be submitted for approval to the Board of Trustees.
The student members, one an M.D. candidate and one a combined M.D./Ph.D. candidate, were selected by their peers to represent the MED student body in the selection process. The students “have as much of a voice in the selection as any of the faculty members,” Levinsky said.
Students will also participate through the Student Committee on Medical School Affairs, the MED student government.
“SCOMSA is involved in the process to select a new dean and there has been a lot of dialogue about the issue,” said Ashwin Lal, a third-year MED student and SCOMSA member, in an email. “But I have not been at the meetings to comment on how things are going.”
Dermatology Department Chairman Dr. Carl Franzblau, who will serve on the selection committee, said the search has no set deadline because the committee hopes to find the ideal person for the job.
“We hope to pick the best person the best way we know how,” he said. “We’re searching for someone who maximizes the qualities we’re interested in – leadership, understanding of medical education and research.”
Because the committee is still accepting applications, Levinsky said he thinks it would be unfair to disclose the names of the current candidates.
Levinsky said he believes the search will not be an expensive one. The committee is unpaid, so the only expenses will be the candidates’ travel costs and the initial cost of advertising.
“I just hope that the search ends quickly and that we can come close to finding someone that will fill Dr. Chobanian’s very large shoes,” Brody said.