Interim Dean Appointed at Medical School

Jerry S. Wolinsky, M.D., professor of neurology, has been appointed interim dean of The University of Texas Medical School at Houston until a successor is named. UT Health Science Center at Houston President James T. Willerson, M.D., made the announcement May 3.

Jerry S.Wolinsky, M.D.

“As a result of Dean Stanley Schultz’s prolonged and continuing recovery from his medical problems, ” Willerson said in a memo to all faculty, staff and students, a search committee has been appointed to help identify and recruit a new dean for the Medical School.

“We are very optimistic Dr. Schultz will recover, and he will remain a strong advisor and leader in the Dean’s office at our Medical School following his recovery,” Willerson said. “We wish to express our deep appreciation to Dr. Schultz for his wonderful leadership of our Medical School in the past and for what we know he will contribute in the future.”

Wolinsky assumes full responsibility as interim dean June 1, when Michael McKinney, M.D., returns to his full-time responsibilities as senior executive vice president and chief operating officer of the health science center. McKinney served as acting dean after Schultz became ill in late November 2005.

Wolinsky, holder of the Bartels Family and Opal C. Rankin Professorships in Neurology, directs the Multiple Sclerosis Research Group and Magnetic Resonance Imaging Analysis Center at the Medical School. The research group is internationally known for its work with imaging and clinical trials. He recently returned from trips to England and Germany, where he met with colleagues to develop a new international studies program in bioinformatics related to multiple sclerosis.

The search committee is chaired by McKinney and consists of: Frank Arnett, M.D., holder of the Elizabeth Bidgood Chair in Rheumatology; Kevin Dillon, executive vice president for finance and administration; Susan John, M.D., holder of the John S. Dunn Distinguished Chair in Radiology and chair of the Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Imaging; Samuel Kaplan, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics; Gary Rosenfeld, Ph.D., professor of integrative biology and pharmacology; and George Stancel, Ph.D., dean and the John P. McGovern Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Endowed Professor. Kaplan and Rosenfeld also hold faculty appointments in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.