By Doug Nadvornick, College of Medical Sciences
SPOKANE, Wash. – Washington State University will host an open forum 4-5 p.m. today (Wednesday, Aug. 19) for the first of three finalists for founding dean of the new medical school. It will be in the first floor Walgreen’s Auditorium of the Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences Building, 205 E. Spokane Falls Blvd.
“I am thrilled with the caliber of the finalists as well as the rapid pace of the search committee,” said WSU Interim President Dan Bernardo. “We remain on track to seat our first class of medical students in the fall of 2017.”
David Gozal is the Herbert T. Abelson Professor of Pediatrics Pritzker Scholar in the biological sciences division at the University of Chicago. He is a world-renowned pediatric sleep researcher and president of the Illinois Sleep Society.
He will participate in meetings with university faculty and administration and community leaders throughout the day.
The second finalist will come to the WSU Spokane campus on Monday, Aug. 24. The third finalist will visit Monday, Aug. 31. Both candidates will also participate in public forums at 4 p.m. in the same venue.
“The experience and qualifications of the three finalists ensure our community-based medical school will have the leadership necessary to reach our goal of training primary care physicians to work in underserved areas,” said WSU Spokane Chancellor Lisa Brown. “I’m very impressed with the search committee’s work. This is a very exciting time for WSU Spokane and, most importantly, the state.”
The new dean will serve as head of the WSU medical school, which was authorized by the legislature and governor during the 2015 legislative session. He or she will also lead the new school through the accreditation process with the goal of welcoming a charter class of medical students in August 2017.
First- and second-year medical students will do their academic work on the WSU Spokane campus. Third- and fourth-year students will be assigned to WSU clinical campuses in Spokane, the Tri-Cities, Vancouver and Everett; they will do their clinical rotations in clinics and hospitals in and around those cities.
WHAT: Public forum featuring the first of three WSU medical school founding dean finalists
WHEN: 4 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 19
WHERE: WSU Spokane campus, Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences Building, Walgreen’s Auditorium
Contacts:
Doug Nadvornick, WSU College of Medical Sciences, 509-358-7540, doug.nadvornick@wsu.edu
Terren Roloff, WSU Spokane, 509-358-7527, terren.roloff@wsu.edu