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 President Eric Kaler said he's hoping newly named medical school Dean Brooks Jackson can revitalize the school, boosting morale while fueling more medical research.

who directs the pathology department at Johns Hopkins University, the successor to Aaron Friedman, current dean and vice president for health sciences.

Jackson is expected to start Feb. 17 pending approval by university regents.

He is coming during a time when the Academic Health Center -- and the medical school in particular -- has hit some bumps.

Late last year, an external review said that though strong, the U's medical school suffers from a "malaise," and that its reputation has declined. It also mentioned staff concerns over the leadership structure for both the center and school.

The university is also working out a more integrated partnership with Fairview Health Services, which t

Kaler told reporters the U needs to improve its medical research efforts, expand its "research portfolio" and 

while building a planned ambulatory care center.

A key talent of Jackson is winning federal grant money. Under his leadership, the Johns Hopkins pathology department went from fifth in the nation to first in the amount of National Institute of Health funding it received.

Jackson said in a phone interview that he expects to continue a push similar to the one he made at Johns Hopkins.

Both he and Kaler said the health care field is changing quickly, as is its business model.

Kaler said the future is "very uncertain," and said the U will have to adapt quickly to changes in areas such as reimbursement, the modernization of medical education, the focus on prevention over treatment.

The president also saw "challenges around our educational model" -- namely the use of online education to handle lecture-based instruction in the first two years of med school.

Private fundraising, he said, will also be a must:

Kaler said he looks forward to "an exceptional run" for the medical school, and appeared to imply that the stakes were high:

Education News

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Alex Friedrich

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University of Minnesota President Eric Kaler said he’s hoping newly named medical school Dean Brooks Jackson can revitalize the school, boosting morale while fueling more medical research. Today the U named Jackson, who directs the pathology department at Johns Hopkins University, the successor to Aaron Friedman, current dean and vice president for health sciences. Jackson 

University of Minnesota President Eric Kaler said he’s hoping newly named medical school Dean Brooks Jackson can revitalize the school, boosting morale while fueling more medical research. Today the U named Jackson, who directs the pathology department at Johns Hopkins University, the successor to Aaron Friedman, current dean and vice president for health sciences. Jackson Read more →


U of M President says new dean could recharge the medical school

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