My Journey:

In March 2019, I stepped down as the executive vice chancellor for health affairs at the University of Texas System, capping a three-decade long career as a university administrator. I had the best of all possible role models for this journey. My father, Bernard, was a founding biostatistics department chair for twenty-three years and then a public health dean for a decade. He was a pretty tough act to follow and although he did not live long enough to see more than the first few chapters of my career, his guidance has remained with me ever since.

I grew up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina about a mile from the campus of the University of North Carolina. Having been born and bred a Tar Heel, attending UNC basketball and football games since early childhood, there was little doubt about what college to attend. My first surprise at Carolina was that I enjoyed my English and philosophy electives as much as my required science courses. My second surprise, and again a very welcome one, came from my introduction to chemistry research under the direction of two generous mentors, Professors Maurice Bursey and Lee Pedersen. They showed me that research could be very exciting and I even experienced the thrill of seeing my name in print on several publications. 

Since many of my closest friends were chemistry graduate students, continuing on for an advanced degree in chemistry seemed like a logical pathway. On the other hand, many of my classmates were premedical students and their enthusiasm swept me along with them. Ultimately, I made the eight mile trek down Tobacco Road to Duke medical school (although I never fully converted to becoming a Blue Devil fan). During an elective year in medical school, I obtained a Master of Public Health degree at Harvard, and there discovered the beauty and elegance of epidemiology - the study of disease patterns and risk factors in human populations. I had the privilege of conducting a research project there under the tutelage of Philip Cole, whose precision in scientific writing I still try to emulate.

After graduating from medical school, it was back to Boston for pediatrics training at Children’s Hospital, then headed by Mary Ellen Avery, an icon in neonatology. Before long, epidemiology called me back to the University of North Carolina to obtain a PhD. Upon graduation in 1983, my first faculty appointment was at Emory University to run a cancer registry that covered all of metropolitan Atlanta. We studied risk factors for cancer occurrence, and given the diverse demographics of our population, we became early entrants into the study of racial differences in cancer occurrence and prognosis. The success of our research program led to my appointment in 1987 as chair of the newly merged department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology in the medical school. 

Three years later, Emory decided to create a new school of public health, and after a national search, I was asked by Vice President Charles Hatcher and President James Laney to serve as the founding dean. At the ridiculously young age of thirty-five, it was a heady experience to recruit faculty, secure accreditation, raise an endowment and get a building constructed. Today, thirty years later, it is a source of great institutional pride that the mature Rollins School of Public Health is ranked among the top five public health schools in the country. 

In 1995, I departed Emory and the many friends and colleagues there for the promise of new opportunities at the Medical University of South Carolina, in Charleston. There, I served as the vice president for academic affairs and provost at MUSC - the oldest medical school in the south. The institution had a rich history but was struggling a bit to enhance its academic profile. Working with the six deans, we built upon both the research base and educational offerings. My boss, former Governor and Secretary of the Department of Energy, Jim Edwards, was a savvy politician and a warm human being who taught me a great deal about leadership. When he stepped down in 2000, a national search resulted in my selection to succeed him. During the nearly fourteen years of my presidency, MUSC built two new college buildings, a state-of-the-art hospital, two research buildings, and a new cancer center, which won designation by the National Cancer Institute. Despite a back-breaking recession and its financial challenges, MUSC was able to elevate its national stature.

In 2013, Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa of the University of Texas System recruited me to serve as the executive vice chancellor for health affairs. The UT System operates six separate health campuses around the Lone Star State - one of the largest academic health systems in the country. Working with the presidents of the six campuses, we were able to foster collaboration and enhance an already strong network of institutions. When Chancellor Cigarroa, a great surgeon and compassionate leader, stepped down, I had the good fortune to work for his successor, former four-star admiral and true national hero, William McRaven. We had the rare privilege of being able to launch two brand new medical schools - one at the flagship campus in Austin, and one in a traditionally under-served region of South Texas. 

Having paid my administrative dues, these days my focus is on exploring the lives and work of those who have helped to shape modern medicine. They serve as constant sources of inspiration for me and hopefully for others as well.