May 26, 2006

Dear Colleagues:

I am pleased to announce that Laurence B. Gardner, M.D., has accepted a new position within the Miller School of Medicine as the Executive Dean for Education and Policy. In this role he will work closely with me to consolidate and coordinate all of the education and training programs that comprise our educational mission.  These programs include our undergraduate medical education, our graduate medical education, our specialized M.D./Ph.D programs, our continuing medical education, and all other graduate training programs, within and outside Miami.

In order to assume this new senior leadership role, Dr. Gardner will step down from his position as chairman of the Department of Medicine, while remaining the Miller Professor of Medicine. I will soon be inviting you to an opportunity to celebrate Lanny’s tenure as the Chairman of Medicine.

An interim Chair will be appointed promptly to manage the department, and a committee will be established to initiate a national search for the next leader of this notable department.  The University of Miami Miller School of Medicine is a remarkable environment where the quest for academic greatness has never been stronger.  We invite nominations for the next chairperson for the Department of Medicine, a position that is critical for the success of the School.

Dr. Gardner is known nationally and internationally for his contribution to his own medical specialty as well as to other specialty programs in medicine, and he has served in key leadership roles over the years.  He has also long been a leader in national medical education, serving as Chair of the National Board of Medical Examiners and as the former President of the Association of Professors of Medicine. We are delighted that he is willing to take on this new responsibility for the School and we are confident that Dr. Gardner, as Executive Dean for Education and Policy, will guide our training programs to new heights of excellence.

With warm regards,

Pascal J. Goldschmidt, M.D.
Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs and Dean