Dr. Debra Schwinn will become dean of the Carver College of Medicine starting Nov. 1. Photo by Joshua Bessex.

The UW School of Medicine took a hit to its faculty ranks last week, when Debra Schwinn, the chair of the UWs department of anesthesiology and pain medicine, was appointed as the next dean of the University of Iowas Carver College of Medicine.

Schwinn, who also serves as an adjunct professor of pharmacology and genome sciences, came to the UW in 2007 after serving on the faculty of the Duke University Medical Center. She said the collaborative research and the environment at the UW were key to her decision to come.

The department was already strong, and I saw an opportunity to help it grow to be a model anesthesiology department in the U.S., outstanding in research as well as teaching and clinical care, said Schwinn.

Schwinn, who holds one Australian and four U.S. patents, is a nationally known investigator in molecular pharmacology and an elected member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Science.

Though leaving the UW after just five years, Schwinn said she is proud of the strides her programs have made. Under her watch, the department of anesthesiology and pain medicine established an interdisciplinary Mitochondria and Metabolism Center at UW Medicines South Lake Union campus, giving the school national prominence in mitochondrial biology. In addition, the schools chronic-pain program has become a world leader.

Our chronic-pain program, which had strong historical roots, has been transformed into an international leading program in outcomes-based clinical care as the vision of several key leaders who were recruited to UW from across the U.S. and Europe, said Schwinn. We have partnered with foundations and key visionary individuals who have donated funds to develop and enhance this center.

University of Iowa officials said Schwinn was a great pick for their open position.

Dr. Schwinn has an unmatched breadth and depth in her understanding of the future challenges and opportunities in academic medicine, said Donna Hammond, acting dean at the Carver College of Medicine. She is an extremely accomplished physician scientist, a committed educator and advocate of interprofessional education, and has a record of strong visionary leadership.

While Schwinn is excited to expand her role at Iowa, leaving the UW is bittersweet.

Originally posted here:

UW medicine chair appointed dean of Iowa College of Medicine