Kieburtz Stepping Down as CTSI Co-Director and Senior Associate Dean of Clinical Research

Karl Kieburtz, M.D., M.P.H., co-director of the Clinical and Translational Science Institute and Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Research, is slated to step down from both of those roles at the beginning of the new year. Going forward, the CTSI will be led by current co-directors Martin Zand M.D., Ph.D. and Nana Bennett M.D. and Jill Halterman, M.D., M.P.H., an accomplished physician and scientist, will take over as Senior Associate Dean of Clinical Research.

According to Kieburtz, he decided to step down from these roles to allow him to focus on his personal research interests. He will continue as part-time faculty in the Department of Neurology and in the Center for Human Experimental Therapeutics and will continue to be affiliated with the CTSI, but in an advisory capacity.

“When I accepted the position as Director of the CTSI three years ago,” said Kieburtz, “my goal was to ensure that the institute’s primary funding be renewed.”

With the successful renewal of the Clinical and Translational Science Award in August, Kieburtz has fulfilled that goal and feels it is time to hand the reigns over to Nancy Bennett, M.D., and Martin Zand, M.D., Ph.D., who have both served as CTSI co-directors alongside Kieburtz since the beginning of 2015. Bennett and Zand will take on most of Kieburtz’ day-to-day duties and continue to lead the CTSI as a team, pending formal approval from the National Center for Advancing Translational Science.

Though the positions of Director of the CTSI and Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Research have historically been appointed to the same person, these positions will no longer overlap. However, Halterman, who will begin her term as Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Research on Jan. 1, will serve as a collaborator and an integral advisor to the CTSI in this new role and in her current role within the Integrating Special Populations Function of the CTSI.

“Dr. Halterman has built an excellent reputation with her clinical research,” Kieburtz said.  “As the first Senior Associate Dean of Clinical Research to have a background in pediatrics, I believe she will bring a new and valuable perspective to the role.”

Halterman, a professor of Pediatrics who also serves as Chief of the Division of General Pediatrics, has helped guide the delivery of asthma care in Rochester and elsewhere through her research.

“This is an exciting opportunity, and my hope is that we can continue to enhance community-based research and think about health on a broad, population level,” said Halterman. “I look forward to working with my research colleagues throughout the university to help them build on their ideas and achieve their goals.”

“Jill’s work with asthma delivery has centered on the development of models that are both sustainable and scalable,” said Mark B. Taubman, M.D., Dean of the Medical School and CEO of URMC. “Given her experience, we believe she’s the perfect choice to work with our researchers to help translate their work to affect health across a population.”

Stephen Dewhurst, Ph.D., Vice Dean for Research, mentioned Halterman’s long track record of impactful and innovative research and her reputation as a collaborator among the many reasons he felt she was a fit for the position.

“She’s very involved in issues of population health and that’s the direction the medical center needs to tilt toward,” said Dewhurst. “Her ability to build bridges with disparate groups of stakeholders who may not already be working together — that’s a great strength and I anticipate she will bring the same strength to this role.”

Halterman will report to Dewhurst, and will work alongside Edith Lord, Ph.D., Senior Associate Dean of Graduate Studies; and Dirk Bohmann, Ph.D., incoming Senior Associate Dean for Basic Research.

In addition to her goals around population health, Halterman is also hoping to create a research environment where young investigators can thrive, and she feels strongly about ensuring that the proper mentorship and support is available to researchers early in their careers.

“We need to think about trainees and junior investigators and facilitate their involvement in this type of research,” said Halterman. “It’s vital for us to help shape the next generation of scientists who are working in this area.”

Michael Hazard | 10/6/2016