Dr. Steve Goldstein named UCI vice chancellor for health affairs
Renowned academic leader will oversee new College of Health Sciences
Irvine, Calif., Dec. 18, 2018 — Dr. Steve Goldstein – a nationally renowned academic leader, physician and pediatric researcher – has been named vice chancellor for health affairs at the University of California, Irvine, effective Feb. 1, 2019.
Goldstein will oversee and guide the development of the Susan and Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences, formed last year with a cornerstone gift of $200 million, the largest in UCI’s history. He will provide leadership and strategic direction for the School of Medicine, the Sue and Bill Gross School of Nursing, the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, the Program in Public Health and UCI Health, the region’s only academic health system, which includes the UCI Medical Center and affiliated healthcare offices.
“Dr. Goldstein’s distinguished academic experience, scientific expertise and proven leadership skills make him the right person to realize the college’s vision of integrated health education and delivery,” said Chancellor Howard Gillman. “He will lead during a period of tremendous growth for our health enterprise, as we build a unique college structure that reimagines how best to advance health and well-being.”
As one of the largest gifts ever given to a public university, the far-reaching donation made by Susan and Henry Samueli – longtime campus supporters, philanthropists, and business and community leaders – established a college dedicated to all evidence-based approaches to treating disease and promoting wellness, encompassing conventional medicine, lifestyle and preventive medicine, alternative and complementary modalities, and the many disciplines of population health sciences.
“As healthcare continues to rapidly change, moving from treating a single ailment to addressing the whole person and total community, there is a pressing need for doctors and other healthcare professionals to work together to provide comprehensive care, promote lasting wellness and enhance quality of life,” said Henry Samueli. “Susan and I are excited that an innovative health sciences leader like Dr. Goldstein will help UCI realize this vision.”
Goldstein will oversee the creation of the planned schools of pharmacy & pharmaceutical sciences and population health, shepherd the physical growth of the health sciences campus – which includes construction of a new facility to house the college that will contain labs, classrooms and administrative offices – and lead the recruitment of new faculty, among them up to 15 Samueli Endowed Chairs across the medicine, nursing, pharmacy and population health disciplines.
“Our health sciences currently employ more than 800 teaching, research and clinical faculty serving a diverse group of 2,500 undergraduate and graduate students,” said Enrique Lavernia, UCI provost and executive vice chancellor. “As the only academic health enterprise in Orange County, we play a critical role in serving the advanced health care needs of nearly 4 million people, as well as training tomorrow’s health care professionals.”
Goldstein has more than 30 years of experience in health sciences research, medical education, higher education administration and hospital management. He is currently dean and chief diversity officer at the Stritch School of Medicine at Loyola University Chicago, where he’s also a professor of pediatrics and cell & molecular physiology. During his tenure, medical school applications increased by 30 percent, the Department of Cancer Biology was established, and six new degree programs were introduced.
Previously, at Brandeis University, Goldstein was a University Professor of biochemistry, as well as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. In addition, he has held academic and clinical positions at the University of Chicago, Yale University and Harvard University.
Kyriacos Athanasiou, UCI Distinguished Professor of biomedical engineering and chair of the search committee, said: “Dr. Goldstein truly epitomizes all the attributes that we want for this position. He is an incredibly accomplished physician and scientist, a proven academic leader who has served at the highest echelons of university administration, and an open-minded healthcare provider who truly recognizes the incredible opportunity that we have at UCI.”
Goldstein holds an M.D. and a Ph.D. in immunology from Harvard University. His research has identified genetic and mechanistic bases for sudden infant death syndrome in African Americans, inherited and drug-induced cardiac arrhythmias, skeletal muscle disorders and ischemic stroke.
A fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Goldstein received the prestigious E. Mead Johnson Award from the Society for Pediatric Research in 2001 for his research contributions. He has also been a scientific adviser to the National Institutes of Health on nanomedicine and vice chair of the National Science Foundation Biological Sciences Advisory Committee.
“It is an honor to join the exceptional faculty, staff and students of UCI,” Goldstein said. “The university’s mission and the vision of the Susan and Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences resonate with my life’s work – improving the human condition through the best in education, research and care.”
About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UCI is the youngest member of the prestigious Association of American Universities. The campus has produced three Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 35,000 students and offers 192 degree programs. It’s located in one of the world’s safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County’s second-largest employer, contributing $5 billion annually to the local economy. For more on UCI, visit www.uci.edu.
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