Larry Jameson selected as next Penn Med dean

Larry Jameson has been selected as executive vice president of the University of Pennsylvania Health System and dean of the School of Medicine, Penn President Amy Gutmann announced Thursday.

He will begin his term on July 1, 2011. He will succeed Arthur Rubenstein, who announced in March that he will step down in 2011.

Jameson is currently the vice president for medical affairs and dean of the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University.

Larry Jameson has been selected as executive vice president of the University of Pennsylvania Health System and dean of the School of Medicine, Penn President Amy Gutmann announced last week.

Jameson will begin his term on July 1, 2011. He will succeed Arthur Rubenstein, who announced in March that he will step down in 2011, though he will remain at Penn.

Jameson, 56, is currently the vice president for medical affairs and dean of the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University. He is married with three children ages 15, 18 and 22.

Prior to joining Northwestern’s faculty in 1993, Jameson served as associate professor of medicine at the Harvard Medical School and chief of the Thyroid Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

Jameson is an editor of Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine. He has authored hundreds of scientific articles, studies and texts.

Jameson attended the University of North Carolina, where he received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 1976 as well as a medical degree and his biochemistry doctorate in 1981.

In addition to his academic accomplishments, Jameson has built a “sterling track record” as a clinician — a characteristic which distinguishes him as an ideal match for Penn Med, Gutmann said in a press release.

“He is across-the-board strong,” Gutmann said. “He has a strong ethical compass and demonstrated leadership skills.”

Though records of the candidate search are not yet public, Penn Provost Vince Price, who chaired the search, said the committee was charged with seeking national and international candidates and had “a large selection of outstanding nominees.”

In reviewing candidates, Price added, the committee looked for “someone who would give equal attention to the core missions of research, education and clinical excellence, as represented by Penn Med.”

Similarly, Jameson said he was attracted to Penn Med for its focus on both research and clinical care.

“At Penn Med, we can bring research to the bedside of patients in a very direct way,” he said, adding that Penn is particularly unique in its opportunities for interdisciplinary research.

“A lot of important discoveries sit between traditional disciplines,” Jameson said. “I’m a strong proponent of trying to connect faculty in different domains because the opportunities to have breakthrough discoveries emerge from that.”

In his new role, Jameson will be responsible for the oversight and management of Penn Med. University of Pennsylvania Health System CEO Ralph Muller will also report to Jameson.

“It is by far the biggest deanship at Penn,” Gutmann said of the position.

Though Rubenstein is currently Penn’s highest-paid administrator, Gutmann said Jameson will not inherit Rubenstein’s salary, as each administrator’s pay is determined by a variety of factors, including market value and experience.

Chairman of the Board of Trustees David Cohen said Jameson is an “outstanding hire for Penn Med and the University of Pennsylvania. I have no doubt that under his leadership the upward trajectory of Penn Med will continue, and he will be an excellent successor to the outstanding leadership Arthur Rubenstein has provided over the last decade.”

Rubenstein said he was delighted about the decision. “Dr. Jameson is a wonderful choice. I couldn’t have thought of a better choice.”

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