March 30, 2022
Contact: Uriah Orland, 573-882-6212, uriah.orland@missouri.edu
The University of Missouri recently announced a new leadership structure in the university’s medical enterprise that will provide further alignment between MU Health Care (MUHC) and the School of Medicine to accelerate the ability to swiftly recruit, grow research, build centers of excellence in clinical specialty areas, and make decisions about overall funding.
The new structure will combine the roles of executive vice chancellor of Health Affairs and dean of the School of Medicine. Executive Vice Chancellor Richard J. Barohn will assume this dual role on June 1, following the conclusion of the 2021-2022 academic year. The current dean of the School of Medicine, Dr. Steven Zweig, will continue to serve in his clinical role as a family physician.
“As we look to the future, appointing the executive vice chancellor to serve as dean of the School of Medicine as well as maintaining oversight of MUHC will provide further alignment that will help us more swiftly achieve our strategic goals,” said Mun Y. Choi, University of Missouri president. “We are grateful to Dr. Zweig for bringing to the School of Medicine his leadership, extensive medical expertise, and passion for educating Missouri’s future physicians. We look forward to his continued exceptional care provided to our community.”
“Our medical research enterprise is an important part of MU’s overall education and research portfolio,” said Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Latha Ramchand. “This new structure accelerates decision-making, progress and recruitment in order to move more quickly, strategically drive research and continue to improve training and opportunities for our students.”
Anticipating the changing needs for medicine and health care, many universities, including The Ohio State, University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Michigan, already have moved to similar leadership structures that better integrate the trifold mission of education, research and delivery of care.
“I look forward to working with the MUHC and School of Medicine leadership and faculty through the transition,” Barohn said. “Both are on strong upward trajectories and this further integration offers exciting possibilities that will make us even more competitive among our national peers.”
