=News=

UCR’s Final Planning for a Medical
School Shifts into High Gear

The Office of Strategic Communications
RIVERSIDE, Calif. – UC Riverside has
launched the final phase of planning for its
proposed School of Medicine, including development
of a business plan covering its operational
and financial strategies.
An executive director for medical school planning
has been named, six work groups formed
and a consulting firm engaged to guide preparation
of the school’s business plan. Additionally,
UCR will establish a chancellor’s
community advisory board to provide broad
input on the medical school initiative.
Acting Chancellor Robert Grey, who led development
of the initial proposal for the school,
said “the goal is to create a final plan that is financially
and strategically bullet proof.”
“As we progress in our planning efforts, the
collaboration of UCR team members and the
local community will be the key to delivering
the highest quality School of Medicine to Inland
Southern California,” he said.
He named Dr. Phyllis A. Guze as executive director,
medical school planning. She is chair
emerita of the Department of Medicine at the
Veterans Administration Greater Los Angeles
Healthcare System and long-time professor of
medicine at UCLA. She has received 13 honors
for outstanding teaching of medical students
and has experience in both research
and patient care.
The work groups are designed to expedite the
planning process and allow in-depth analysis
of infrastructure issues. These include
the administrative structure
for the school of medicine, facilities and capital planning, graduate medical
education programs and the associated relationships
with local medical facilities, and
the clinical faculty requirements for teaching
third and fourth year medical students. Grey
is leading an executive team that oversees
all of the work groups’ activities.
The work groups represent faculty, staff,
medical community leadership, campus administration,
and alumni.
Work group chairs are: Associate Dean of
the UCR/UCLA Haider Program in Biomedical
Sciences Neal Schiller; Professor Emeritus
and Associate to the Vice Chancellor for
Research Richard Luben; Dean of the
UCR/UCLA Haider Program in Biomedical
Sciences Craig Byus; Clinical Professor
Stewart Shankel, M.D.; Vice Provost for
Health Affairs Kiki Nocella and Graduate Division
Dean Dallas Rabenstein as co-chairs
of the graduate medical education work
group; and Bioengineering Department
Chair and Distinguished Professor Jerry
Schultz and Distinguished Professor of Biomedical
Sciences David Lo as co-chairs of
the research enterprise work group.
Grey is establishing the chancellor’s community
advisory board to serve as a crucial
link between the community and the new
school as it takes shape and matures.
Deloitte Consulting, with extensive experience
in medical school advising, is helping
to guide the work of each of the groups and
provide the project management support.
UCR’s preliminary proposal to establish the
medical school was approved in November
2006 by the UC Board of Regents. The endorsement
authorized UCR to proceed with
final planning for the school.
The curriculum for the school is before the
UCR Academic Senate which is awaiting
the business plan being developed by the
work groups before putting the full proposal
to a vote. That vote is expected
in the first half of next year.