Appointment of the Interim Dean of the Geisel School

To the Dartmouth community:

We are pleased to share the news that Duane Compton, Professor of Biochemistry and Senior Associate Dean for Research, has agreed to serve as Interim Dean of Dartmouth's Geisel School of Medicine, effective July 15, 2014.

Duane received his PhD from the University of Texas in 1988 and completed his postdoctoral training in the field of cell biology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He was recruited to the faculty at Dartmouth in 1993 and has been a leader in graduate and medical student education and a distinguished NIH-funded researcher. He recently received an NIH MERIT Award in recognition of his research on the mechanisms of chromosome segregation.

As Interim Dean, Duane will report to Provost Carolyn Dever and will work closely with both Dartmouth College and Geisel school leadership to ensure that we continue to make progress on a number of important initiatives at Geisel.

The Geisel School of Medicine is an essential part of the robust academic community at Dartmouth College and is at the forefront of medical education and practice. By driving advances in basic and clinical research, and in outcomes-based medicine and health care delivery science, the research mission of the Geisel School of Medicine is focused, forceful, and innovative. The Geisel School of Medicine excels in equipping our graduates with the skills to tackle significant scientific problems, provide excellent patient care, and also the wisdom to create a more effective healthcare system, affecting our nation person by person for generations to come.

We are living in an era of unprecedented advances in medical discovery and implementation. However, against that backdrop, academic medical centers in the US are facing unparalleled economic challenges. We have all pulled together during the past year to address Geisel's financial challenges, while setting a course to keep the Geisel School of Medicine at the forefront of education, research, and clinical practice. That work will continue with the capable, practiced leadership of Duane Compton.

The Geisel community and Dartmouth College are resolute in the commitment to the bright future of Geisel, and to the improvements in human health and wellness that our future represents. Further, our partners in Dartmouth-Hitchcock leadership have pledged their support for Geisel as they too navigate an increasingly challenging external environment. We applaud the incredible contributions that faculty, students, and staff are making in these arenas and are grateful for your continued partnership.

This is an exciting and dynamic time at Dartmouth. As we look to expand our impact and take this already great institution to new levels, Geisel, and each of you, will play a crucial role in our success. We look forward to partnering with Duane and the faculty, students and staff of the Geisel School of Medicine in the months ahead, as we work with all of you to ensure Geisel's legacy of excellence.

Warm regards,

Phil Hanlon '77
President

Carolyn Dever
Provost