The University is losing another top executive with an announcement today
- Paul Wong
- Tanya (Mary Ellen Mahoney) sizes up the flirtatious Pepper.<br><br>Courtesy of Joan Marcus
that Gil Omenn, the highest-paid employee on campus and first person to
serve as vice president for medical affairs, is stepping down next summer
to become a faculty member.
Omenn, whose salary of $556,000 in 2000 was the most of any public-sector
employee in the state, will take a year”s leave “to delve more deeply into
life sciences development and science and health policy issues,” he said
in a written statement released by the University Health System.
His departure follows that of President Lee Bollinger, who will end his
four-year tenure later this month to become chief executive at Columbia
University, and Provost Nancy Cantor, who is now chancellor of the
University of Illinois” campus in Urbana-Champaign. Search committees are
currently seeking permanent replacements for Bollinger and Cantor, and the
University must now form another panel to search for Omenn”s successor.
“Gil has brought great leadership and direction to so many areas of
medical education and research – most notably his commitment to the Life
Sciences and creation of the Biological Sciences Scholars Program,”
Medical School Dean Allen Lichter said in today”s statement. “His strong
support of philanthropy has helped us realize our goals in educational
innovations recruit the best faculty, students and researchers and build
new facilities.”
Omenn became the University”s first vice president for medical affairs,
overseeing University Hospitals and the School of Medicine, as part of
Bollinger”s new administration in 1997. He previously served as the
University of Washington”s dean of public health and as associate director
of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the Office
of Management and Budget during the Carter administration. From 1994-97,
he chaired the Presidential/Congressional Commission on Risk Assessment
and Risk Management.
“I am proud to have been President Bollinger”s first recruit,” Omenn said
in the statement. “It has been a pleasure to be working so closely with so
many able colleagues on the faculty and staff of the Health System,
throughout the University and in the larger community. I have learned a
lot and given maximal effort. … I am delighted to continue working to
achieve the major objectives we share during the transitional leadership
under Joe White as interim president. Then I will welcome the opportunity
to really delve into scientific and policy problems of great interest to
me.”
Omenn is also a professor of internal medicine, human genetics and public
health.