Briefings:

Appointments Complete Leadership Team

This calendar year marks the completion of M. D. Anderson President Dr. John Mendelsohn's four-member executive team, with the appointment of Dr. Andrew C. von Eschenbach as executive vice president and chief academic officer. He joins Dr. Mendelsohn, Kevin Wardell, executive vice president and chief operating officer, and Leon Leach, chief financial officer, in leading M. D. Anderson into the 21st century.

 

· Dr. Andrew C. von Eschenbach
Dr. von Eschenbach is responsible for managing faculty affairs and the academic programs that comprise M. D. Anderson's patient care, research, education and prevention missions. He also oversees the activities of the vice presidents and all of the clinical division heads and department chairpersons to ensure the vitality of the institution's key mission areas.

 

He had served as chief academic officer ad interim since February 1997.

 

A professor of urology, he holds the Roy M. and Phyllis Gough Huffington Distinguished Clinical Research Chair in Urologic Oncology. He came to Houston from Philadelphia in 1976 for a fellowship in urologic oncology at M. D. Anderson and joined the medical staff the following year. In 1983, he became chairman of the Department of Urology.

 

Dr. von Eschenbach says that during an exciting era of medical research and patient care advances, academic institutions around the country face unprecedented challenges.

 

"The success of our research, patient care and prevention missions is dependent upon recruiting and retaining the brightest individuals for our faculty and ensuring the quality of our teaching programs to prepare physicians and scientists for the years ahead.

 

"M. D. Anderson is well-positioned to address these challenges as the executive leadership team works collaboratively with our faculty to set priorities and develop new initiatives for the future," he says.

 

Dr. von Eschenbach continues to serve as director of the multidisciplinary Prostate Cancer Research Program and pursue his clinical interests in the development of novel therapies for prostate cancer and research initiatives in understanding the biology of prostate cancer metastases and development of hormone independence.

 

Dr. Mendelsohn describes the executive leadership team as a group that "represents a great breadth of operational, financial, clinical and scholarly expertise. We will work together creatively to ensure the future success of this institution and faculty."

 

 

· Dr. Margaret L. Kripke
As one of his first official duties, Dr. von Eschenbach appointed Dr. Margaret L. Kripke vice president for academic programs, a position she has held on an ad interim basis since Fall 1997.

 

As part of the senior team responsible for guiding M. D. Anderson's academic mission, she assumes leadership for educational programs and faculty support services.

 

Dr. Kripke, who holds the Vivian C. Smith Distinguished Chair in Immunology, works closely with faculty leaders and members to develop the strategic agenda for the institution's educational mission, addressing issues such as graduate training, continuing education, accreditation and academic support services. She also serves as liaison to The University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and to many academic agencies.

 

In addition, she coordinates faculty recruitment, enrichment and reward programs, and directs efforts to ensure equitable promotion, tenure, compensation and resource allocation for faculty.

 

Dr. Kripke joined the M. D. Anderson faculty in 1983 as professor and chair of the Department of Immunology.

 

To dedicate herself fully to these new administrative duties, Dr. Kripke has relinquished her chair of the Department of Immunology, but she will maintain a laboratory devoted to her research.

 

Rotary House Celebrates Fifth Anniversary

 

Antonio de Gennaro (third from left), a patient at M. D. Anderson, and his mother Terese (right) were on hand to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Jesse H. Jones Rotary House International Feb. 14. Residents of Napoli, Italy, they enjoyed the festivities and a conversation with M. D. Anderson translator Italo Guidotti (second from left).

 

Known affectionately as the "House with a Heart," the hotel provides a homelike environment with staff who understand the special needs of patients and their families.

 

Connected to M. D. Anderson by an overhead walkway, the hotel features 144 rooms and 54 suites. A restaurant, lounge, indoor swimming pool and other amenities are located on-site. A patient/family learning center, business center and a variety of services such as language assistance, support groups and concierge also are available.

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