Message from the Dean
and BUMD Tucson CEO
Dear Colleagues,
Effective May 11, 2020, Janette Durham, MD, MBA, will step down as Acting Chair of the Department of Medical Imaging (DMI). Please join us in thanking Dr. Durham for her outstanding service as acting DMI chair over the last 18 months. She has led the department through a rough patch, and because of her relentless commitment and dedication, the department is in a much more stable place. She will continue to serve as a professor in the department, as well as a valued advisor to the department through June 30, 2020.
An Interim Governance Council (IGC) comprised of the department’s vice chairs and medical director of operations has been created to lead the department. The IGC includes six members, one of whom will serve as interim council chairman, a position that will rotate every six months among the council’s clinically active members. The IGC will serve as an integrated team to oversee and manage all department activities and operations.
In parallel, we will continue our ongoing search for a permanent chair. The IGC will play an active role in the search process.
The chair of the IGC will represent the department at Dean’s Executive Council Meetings and Clinical Leadership Meetings. He or she will facilitate the IGC’s discussions and decision-making processes and also oversee the department’s clinical, educational and research administrative functions, including office operations and the department’s financial health and management.
We are confident that the IGC will create a seamless transition between the acting and permanent chair. Dr. Shankar will serve as the interim council’s first chair. Please join us in thanking the following members of the IGC:
Sridhar Shankar, MD, MBA
Medical Director, Radiology Operations
Professor, Medical Imaging
Dorothy Gilbertson-Dahdal, MD
Vice Chair, Education
Professor, Medical Imaging
Unni Udayasankar, MD
Vice Chair, Quality and Safety
Professor, Medical Imaging
Hina Arif Tiwari, MD
Vice Chair, Clinical Affairs
Associate Professor, Medical Imaging
Maria I. Altbach, PhD
Vice Chair, Research
Professor, Medical Imaging
Andrew Karellas, PhD
Vice Chair, Faculty Development
Professor, Medical Imaging
Sincerely,
Michael M. I. Abecassis, MD, MBA
Dean, College of Medicine – Tucson
Professor, Departments of Surgery and Immunobiology
Chad Whelan, MD, MHSA
CEO, BUMD Tucson
Clinical Professor, Department of Medicine