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New Associate, Assistant Deans Appointed
at Three Schools
New associate and assistant deans have been named at three of the six schools of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.
Dental Branch
Catherine M. Flaitz, D.D.S., dean of the UT Dental Branch at Houston, announced administrative changes for efficiency and effectiveness in reaching the school’s goals. The changes are as follows:
- John Valenza, D.D.S., executive associate dean, who has been associate dean for patient care since 1996. He also served as acting chair of the Department of Diagnostic Sciences since 2002.
- Peter Triolo, D.D.S., associate dean for patient care, who has been chairman of the Department of Restorative Dentistry and Biomaterials since 1997. He also has a faculty appointment in the UT Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS).
- Phil Pierpont, D.D.S., associate dean for student and alumni affairs, who has taken on additional responsibilities for alumni affairs in addition to student affairs. He has been responsible for student affairs since 1997.
In the new position of executive associate dean, Valenza is responsible for the development of multiple high priority projects, such as equipment and facility upgrades, the faculty practice plan, simulation, electronic patient records and a replacement Dental Branch building. Other ongoing areas of responsibility include the school’s dental informatics and technology, hospital and community affairs, outcomes assessment, and strategic planning, as well as space and facility considerations.
School of Nursing
Rick Gaines, former associate dean for management at the UT Medical School at Houston, was named the associate dean for management at the UT School of Nursing at Houston, effective Sept. 1. Kevin Dillon, executive vice president for finance and business affairs, and Patricia L. Starck, D.S.N., dean of the School of Nursing, announced the appointment.
Gaines has more than 26 years of management experience in medical school higher education. His responsibilities have included the coordination and administration of institutional operational affairs, financial management, human resources, equipment and inventory management, information systems, and space needs.
Starck said she is pleased “to have someone who knows the health science center and all our business systems and who hit the ground running.”
Medical School
Stanley Schultz, M.D., dean of the UT Medical School at Houston, has re-established the position of assistant dean for research affairs, naming John H. Byrne, Ph.D., to it, effective Sept. 1.
“There is no person in the Medical School more suitable for this position in terms of scientific achievement and administrative abilities than Dr. Byrne,” Schultz said.
Byrne, chair of the Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy and holder of the June and Virgil Waggoner Chair, has chaired the Research Committee for 10 years, and is internationally known for his research on the neural and molecular bases of learning and memory. He also is a GSBS faculty member.
In his new position, Byrne will play an important role in planning the Research Replacement Facility, which will replace the John Freeman Building, and he will be an advocate of research in the Dean’s Office.