School of Medicine and Dentistry Invests 10th Dean
Mark B. Taubman, M.D., was formally invested as the Dean of the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry at a ceremony on Wednesday, May 5, in the School’s Class of ’62 Auditorium.
“In a school that has been distinguished by outstanding and path breaking leaders in health care, research, education, and community service, Mark Taubman may prove to be one of our most successful deans,” said University President Joel Seligman. “He is an accomplished scientist, highly effective leader, and a creative thinker who understands the complex and integrated environment of education, science, clinical care, and community outreach that defines the modern academic medical center.”
University of Rochester Medical Center CEO Bradford C. Berk, M.D., Ph.D., cited Taubman’s stature as a strong academic leader with an institution-wide perspective as the reason for his appointment.
“Mark Taubman is a skillful cardiologist, scientist, and academic leader,” Berk said. “Since joining the University in 2003, he has helped to bolster Rochester’s research standing, strengthened patient services, and is now establishing the School of Medicine and Dentistry as a place where outstanding faculty and physicians can do their best work.”
Taubman came to the Medical Center as chief of the Cardiology Unit and Paul N. Yu Professor of Medicine in February 2003. As chief, he was the guiding force behind the expansion of cardiac patient care services, faculty recruitment, strengthening treatments for those with heart arrhythmias and heart failure, adding new preventive cardiology programs (such as the women’s heart program), and forging strong regional services. Taubman also served as director of the Aab Cardiovascular Research Institute, which he helped Berk to found.
Taubman became chair of the Department of Medicine and Charles E. Dewey Professor of Medicine in May 2007. As chair of Medicine, he directed the largest single department in the Medical Center with more than 1,000 faculty and staff who work in 10 units devoted to patient care, research, and education, and a $150 million budget. He named division chiefs, including General Medicine, Cardiology, Hematology-Oncology, Endocrinology, and Infectious Disease. He also appointed an associate chair for Research as well as a chief financial officer for Medicine.
In 2006, Taubman was named editor-in-chief of Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, one of five international medical journals published by the American Heart Association, and the leading journal in the field of vascular biology. He has more than 120 publications, chapters and scholarly writings to his credit.
Taubman is a graduate of the New York University School of Medicine who interned at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital before completing his residency and cardiology fellowship training at the Brigham & Women’s Hospital. He held academic appointments at Harvard Medical School, Children’s Hospital Boston, and Mt. Sinai School of Medicine. Prior to being recruited to the University of Rochester, he was director of cardiovascular research at Mt. Sinai.
“I am energized by myriad economic and social challenges facing academic medical centers, and look forward to working with the faculty, students, and staff to ensure that the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry will remain in the forefront of academic institutions,” Taubman said. “We must continue to produce outstanding physicians and scientists for our region, but also graduate national academic leaders who will shape the field of medicine.”
Guest speaker for the event was Eugene Braunwald, M.D., the Distinguished Hersey Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Chairman of the Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) Study Group at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. TIMI is a large clinical trials network through which Braunwald’s team proved the effectiveness of treatment to limit the size and deadliness of heart attacks. Commonly thought of as the father of modern cardiology, Braunwald was a mentor to both Taubman and Berk as they served their residencies at the Brigham.