Detroit’s Wayne State University has selected Dr. Mark Schweitzer as dean of its School of Medicine and vice president of health affairs. Schweitzer is a radiologist and chair of the department of radiology at the Stony Brook University School of Medicine in New York and will join WSU on April 27.
M. Roy Wilson, president of WSU, made the announcement on Friday.
“We conducted in-depth interviews with a number of outstanding candidates during a yearlong national search, and Dr. Schweitzer’s experience, enthusiasm, and vision made him a perfect fit for Wayne State University,” says Wilson. “Our faculty, our students, and the people of Detroit and the surrounding region will see great advances with Schweitzer’s leadership and energy. He will quickly become a leading contributor to our great city’s ongoing renaissance.”
As vice president of health affairs, Schweitzer will also work with the deans of the College of Nursing and the Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences on clinical training issues. He will work to strengthen collaboration between the three schools to advance interprofessional approaches to health care.
“I attended inner-city public universities during my undergraduate and medical school training, and I served at public safety net hospitals,” Schweitzer says. “My passion throughout my career has been education at all levels. The DNA of Wayne State University and the city of Detroit are intertwined, and the university’s national reputation is illustrious. I’m very much looking forward to serving the people of greater Detroit and Michigan.”
Schweitzer has administrative experience and has served in many hospital and medical practice roles including vice chair for clinical practice and chair of the information management group for Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. He has published work, is a lecturer for Harvard University Medical School, and holds medical patents.
“The board of governors is extremely pleased to be hiring someone the caliber of Dr. Mark Schweitzer to assume what is a critically important leadership position,” says Marilyn Kelly, chair of the board. “Wayne State’s health-related education and community programs are a vital part of the university’s identity and mission, and we think that Mark is the right person to lead us into the future.”
After completing his bachelor’s degree at the Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education at the City University of New York, Schweitzer earned his medical degree from State University of New York at Buffalo. He completed a residency in diagnostic radiology at Nassau County Medical Center, which is now Nassau University Medical Center, where he served as associate chief resident. He performed a fellowship in musculoskeletal radiology at the University of California, San Diego.
Schweitzer has served on expert advisory panels, including study sections for the National Institutes of Health and on panels for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. He was also a principal investigator or co-principal investigator on more than 30 grants, including NIH R01 awards. He has also conducted clinical trials involving novel contrast agents.
He is certified by the American Board of Radiology and has served as the presiding officer of the Radiological Society of North America and the International Skeletal Society. He has also served as a consultant for professional sports teams including the New York Mets, New York Islanders, New York Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, and Philadelphia Eagles. He also consulted for college teams and the 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics in British Columbia.
