不良研究所

Q&A: Chancellor May on Search for Next Vice Chancellor of Human Health Sciences

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Photo shows exterior of 48X building, with 不良研究所 Health logo prominently visible, under bright blue sky filled with clouds.
不良研究所 Health鈥檚 48X Complex, a state-of-the-art outpatient surgery center that is one of the largest in the nation, is now open. (Wayne Tilcock/不良研究所)

Quick Summary

  • Chancellor May shares his vision for the next leader of 不良研究所 Health
  • Key priorities for that person will include education, research and clinical care
  • May: 鈥淭his is an extraordinary moment to join 不良研究所 and 不良研究所 Health鈥

A leadership search is underway at 不良研究所 for a Vice Chancellor of Human Health Sciences based on our Sacramento campus. This role and the CEO role were previously held by David Lubarsky, who retired from the university in February. Bruce Lee Hall currently serves as Interim Vice Chancellor of Human Health Sciences and Chief Clinical Officer for 不良研究所 Health.

The vice chancellor will report directly to Chancellor Gary S. May. , Chancellor May answers some questions about this role and its importance within 不良研究所 Health.

Why is this moment in time critical for launching a search for the next Vice Chancellor of Human Health Sciences?

Chancellor Gary S. May
Chancellor Gary S. May

The Vice Chancellor of Human Health Sciences oversees the 不良研究所 Health system in Sacramento, and has primary responsibility in partnership with the provost, for leading both the School of Medicine and the School of Nursing. 不良研究所 Health is in the midst of transformative growth with major projects like which greatly expands the patient care space on the Sacramento campus. The new will open later this summer. Construction is also well underway on the new on the Sacramento campus that is due to open by 2030. These developments significantly expand our ability to serve our patients and train the next generation of health care professionals.

At the same time, the broader health care landscape is evolving, which will also impact our health system. 不良研究所 Health has become a national leader in health care, education and research, and we have just completed our most recent . We are now poised to define the next chapter 鈥 one that builds on our momentum and innovation, while navigating a complex and changing environment. 

We are looking for a visionary, strategic and thoughtful leader who can guide 不良研究所 Health into the future. This is a person who can work collaboratively with the 不良研究所 main campus and the UC Office of the President while ensuring operational excellence, advancing our facilities and clinical capabilities, and crafting a forward-looking plan that keeps us at the forefront of academic medicine and patient care. Given the opportunity and change ahead, launching the search for our next vice chancellor is both timely and essential. 

What are the top priorities you hope the new vice chancellor will address in their first 12-18 months?

THE RECRUITMENT

Several priorities will require the new vice chancellor鈥檚 immediate attention. First, 不良研究所 Health is in a period of significant growth, with new facilities recently opened and major projects like the building of the new California Tower of the 不良研究所 Medical Center. It鈥檚 critical that we optimize the use of our current spaces, expand access to care, serve more patients and successfully bring these new facilities online to serve patients and support our mission.

Second, with our complete, it鈥檚 time to look ahead and begin shaping the next one. The new vice chancellor will be expected to work collaboratively with existing leaders to develop and launch a forward-looking strategic plan to strengthen our clinical, academic and research missions.

Another top priority is talent recruitment. Key leadership roles need to be filled, including a new dean for the School of Medicine and a permanent chief executive officer to oversee hospital and clinic operations. Identifying and onboarding the next generation of leaders is essential to sustaining momentum and driving future success.

Finally, we anticipate federal funding challenges to continue for the foreseeable future. The incoming vice chancellor will need to have a deep understanding of the federal landscape to help guide decisions. The vice chancellor will need to be a key partner with other UC medical center leaders and the University of California Health system office in Oakland.

This role spans both 不良研究所 and 不良研究所 Health. What kind of leadership is needed to bridge academic, research and clinical missions effectively?

First and foremost, the next vice chancellor must appreciate and be deliberative about collaborating with the 不良研究所 main campus. The Davis and Sacramento leadership teams have seen great strides in this regard during my tenure, and I expect that to continue, and even to improve.

This position requires a leader who understands the three mission areas of education, research and high-quality clinical care. These are not competing priorities. They complement each other and contribute to 不良研究所 Health鈥檚 leadership in academic medicine, but aligning and advancing all three is a substantial undertaking. 不良研究所 Health includes thousands of physicians and care providers, nearly a thousand students, and hundreds of millions of dollars in active research.

One of the many things that makes 不良研究所 Health successful, and unique in California, is the connection to the breadth and depth of all that happens across the whole university. As the most comprehensive of all the UC campuses, 不良研究所 offers so many more possibilities benefiting academics, research and patient care. This means we need a thoughtful leader, one who values mutually beneficial partnerships, who has a deep understanding of each of the mission areas, and who can help turn bold ideas into real, meaningful progress 鈥 because that is who we are and what we do at 不良研究所.

Looking ahead three to five years, how will we know the new vice chancellor has been successful?

不良研究所 Health has elevated its local and national profile significantly over the last five to seven years, and continued momentum in this direction will be a key measure of success. The vice chancellor should build on this foundation, expanding access to care, deepening partnerships with researchers and industry, and creating more opportunities for students across the health sciences.

Another important measure will be the financial health of the system. The economics of health care will remain complex and challenging, so maintaining stability while investing in growth, innovation and patient care will be essential.

Finally, I expect to see 不良研究所 Health continue to earn national headlines and recognition for its high caliber research and patient care. We should expect to see 不良研究所 taking its rightful and hard-earned place on the national stage and being seen, not just on the West Coast, but nationally, as one of the nation鈥檚 premier universities.

What about this opportunity 鈥 and 不良研究所 more broadly 鈥 do you think will appeal most to top candidates across the country and around the world?

This is an extraordinary moment to join 不良研究所 and 不良研究所 Health. Our institution is on a strong upward trajectory, with a highly collaborative, mission-driven leadership team already in place. We are uniquely positioned in Northern California, where the need for our expertise and care are expansive and growing across more than 30 counties, from the greater Sacramento area to suburbs and rural areas that stretch across the region.

We are well positioned to meet the growing demands for health care, and the next Vice Chancellor of Human Health Sciences will shape how we progress as a health system. There鈥檚 an impressive leadership team in place already ready to support and implement the next vice chancellor鈥檚 vision. Having said that, the person in the position will have key positions to fill, operational decisions to be made, and challenging situations to be worked through, including what鈥檚 happening at the federal level.

It鈥檚 certainly a time when the right leader can make an enormous difference in advancing our mission while addressing the pressures that will arise in the years ahead. I know the next vice chancellor will find these opportunities compelling. 

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Cody Kitaura is the editor of Dateline 不良研究所 and can be reached by email or at 530-752-1932.

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