Neurologist Jerry Wolinsky Appointed Interim Dean
of UT Medical School at Houston
HOUSTON - (May 25, 2006)–Jerry S. Wolinsky, M.D., professor of neurology, starts a new leadership role June 1 as interim dean of The University of Texas Medical School at Houston.
Jerry S. Wolinsky, M.D.
Wolinsky will serve until a successor is named, said James T. Willerson, M.D., president of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. A search committee to identify and recruit a new dean has been formed.
Wolinsky replaces Stanley Schultz, M.D., who is recovering at home from a prolonged illness. Michael McKinney, M.D., who had been serving as acting dean of the UT Medical School, will return to his duties as senior executive vice president and chief operating officer of the UT Health Science Center.
“I wish to express my gratitude to Dr. Wolinsky and Dr. McKinney for their continuing outstanding service and support of our Medical School and the health science center,” Willerson said. “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.”
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 UT 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.
Wolinsky, who has been a UT Medical School faculty member for 23 years, will take a sabbatical from his clinical activities, but research at the center will continue and colleagues will care for his patients.
“I hope that I can certainly live up to Dr. Schultz’ standards,” Wolinsky said. “We look forward to the search for a permanent successor for Dr. Schultz to move forward rapidly, but I surely do not intend to be a passive caretaker for the office.”
The search committee is chaired by McKinney and consists of: Frank Arnett, M.D., the Elizabeth Bidgood Chair in Rheumatology; Kevin Dillon, executive vice president for finance and administration; Susan John, M.D., 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.
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