New Dean Named for School of Health Professions and Studies

University of Michigan-Flint Provost Gerard Voland has announced the appointment of Dr. David Gordon as new dean for the School of Health Professions and Studies (SHPS).

Dr. David Gordon, currently professor of pathology and associate dean for diversity and career development at the University of Michigan Medical School, will take over his new role effective August 16, 2011, pending U-M Board of Regents approval.

As the associate dean for diversity and career development, Dr. Gordon oversees efforts to promote diversity within the University of Michigan Medical School. He is also a tenured professor of pathology, and he serves on the National Committee for "Assessment for NIH Minority Research Training Program: Phase 3."

He joined the faculty at the University of Washington as a human diagnostic and experimental cardiovascular pathologist, and was recruited to the University of Michigan in 1991, where his focus has been on human atherosclerosis biology and gene therapy for vascular diseases. He also served as an assistant dean for faculty affairs for the University of Michigan Medical School. From 1997 to 2001 he was with Pfizer's Cardiovascular Therapeutics pre-clinical division where his group did further pre-clinical work on gene therapy for therapeutic angiogenesis. He returned to the University of Michigan full time in 2001, in his current capacity, and is also active in pathology teaching and clinical service.

Dr. Gordon received a BA in Chemistry from Amherst College, and his M.D. degree from Harvard Medical School. While at Harvard he also did a vascular biology research fellowship with Professor Emeritus Morris J. Karnovsky of Harvard Medical School. He then finished an internal medicine internship at University of Massachusetts (Worcester, MA), before being trained in anatomic pathology at the University of Washington in Seattle.

Dr. Gordon has led several initiatives, but two for which he is most proud: 1.) leading the Health Occupations Partners in Education Program, a middle and high school program which mentored underserved Ypsilanti School District students interested in various health professions (public health, nursing, kinesiology, pharmacy, social work, medicine and dentistry); and 2.) leading the creation of a fourth year medical student elective to instruct students on issues pertaining to the care of poor, underserved, and disadvantaged patient populations.