Media contact: Leslie Franz, (619) 543-6163

EDWARD W. HOLMES, M.D., SELECTED AS NEW VICE CHANCELLOR FOR HEALTH SCIENCES

Following a national search, Duke University Dean and Vice Chancellor Edward W. Holmes, M.D., has been named as the new University of California, San Diego vice chancellor for health sciences and dean of the school of medicine. His appointment was approved by the University of California Board of Regents at its meeting July 20 in San Francisco.Holmes is scheduled to begin his duties on September 18. David N. Bailey, M.D., who has served as interim vice chancellor and dean since August 1999, will return to his previous position as chair of pathology when Holmes arrives.

Holmes, 59, has been Duke University Medical Center's Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Dean of the School of Medicine since Jan. 1, 1999. He was previously Senior Associate Dean for Research at Stanford University School of Medicine, as well as Vice President for Translational Medicine and Clinical Research for Stanford Health Systems and Special Counsel on Biomedical Research to the President of Stanford University.

"This is an exciting recruitment that will benefit not only UCSD but the entire community," said Chancellor Dynes. "Dr. Edward Holmes is nationally known and respected as an outstanding scientist, a distinguished educator, and an inspiring leader who can mobilize researchers and clinicians in the study and conquest of human disease. UCSD is already at the forefront in using the powerful tools of genetics and molecular medicine to improve patient care, and with Ed Holmes' vision and drive, there are no limits to what we will be able to achieve.

"I also want to express sincere appreciation to Dr. David Bailey, who has been an exceptionally effective interim vice chancellor and dean," said Chancellor Dynes. "He has not only provided steady and thoughtful guidance during this transitional time, but we have moved forward with several important health sciences initiatives over the past year thanks to his skillful leadership."

"It has been an honor to serve in an interim capacity," said Bailey. "I appreciate more than ever the tremendous potential of our institution, and I believe that Ed Holmes is the right person to help us mobilize talent and resources internally and with our community of colleagues and friends to achieve great things in the future."

Holmes said he is excited not only by the tradition of excellence, but by the level of activity and innovation at UCSD.

"I am pleased and honored to have been selected for this important position at one of the nation's premier universities," he said. "One has to be impressed by the strengths of UCSD's academic and clinical programs, the caliber of its outstanding faculty and staff, and the extraordinary opportunities to build interdisciplinary research, educational and clinical programs across the campus and with community partners. I look forward to working with the UCSD faculty, staff and students and the citizens of San Diego in this time of unparalleled progress and possibilities in medicine and biomedical research."

Holmes specializes in genetics and metabolic disease, currently focusing on a genetic defect linked to congestive heart failure. He is known nationally as an advocate for the vital role of medical schools in translational medicine--the application of scientific discoveries to the development of better diagnostic methods and treatments. He supports the training of physician-scientists who not only treat patients but contribute to the advancement of health care through research and professional collaboration.

At UCSD, Holmes will oversee the academic, research and clinical programs of the School of Medicine and UCSD Healthcare. Rated as one of the nation's top 25 medical schools by U.S. News and World Report, the School of Medicine has 14 academic departments attracting $180 million in research contracts and grants, including support for hundreds of active clinical trials. The school accepts 122 new medical students each year, and has approximately 600 interns, residents and fellows. UCSD Healthcare encompasses the UCSD Medical Center in Hillcrest, UCSD Thornton Hospital in La Jolla, and primary care and specialty practices of faculty physicians with the UCSD Medical Group.

As a senior administrator at Duke, Stanford and the University of Pennsylvania, he was dedicated to building multidisciplinary programs, uniting specialists from a variety of disciplines to collaboratively solve the problems of disease.

Holmes received his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania and did his postgraduate training at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Duke University Medical Center. He joined the Duke faculty in 1974 as a Howard Hughes Medical Investigator, with appointments in medicine and biochemistry. He was chief of the Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Genetics at Duke from 1983 to 1991. He left Duke to become chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, where he also served as professor of Medicine in Human Genetics and a member of the Molecular Biology Graduate Group.

In 1997 he was recruited by Stanford University School of Medicine, returning to Duke in 1999 to take on the joint responsibilities of vice chancellor for academic affairs of the Medical Center and dean of the School of Medicine.

Among his many professional affiliations, Holmes is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, the Association of American Physicians, the American Society for Clinical Investigation and Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He has published more than 125 articles, chapters, reviews and editorials in his 30-year career as a researcher.

A native of Winona, Miss., he earned a bachelor's degree from Washington and Lee University. He is married to Judith Swain, M.D., Chair of the Department of Medicine, Stanford University Medical Center.