Dr. William Crist Appointed UA Vice President for Health Affairs

William M. Crist, MD, dean of the University of Missouri (MU) School of Medicine and a nationally noted pediatric cancer investigator, has been appointed vice president for health affairs at The University of Arizona.

Dr. Crist, who is scheduled to begin his new duties Oct. 31, will be responsible to UA President Robert N. Shelton for the coordination and administration of overall academic and medical services in the UA Colleges of Medicine (in Tucson and at the UA College of Medicine - Phoenix in partnership with ASU), Nursing and Pharmacy and the UA Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. He also will oversee all UA agreements with UMC, UPH and UPH Hospital. He will work in partnership with Meredith Hay, UA executive vice president and provost, in the development and execution of strategic academic priorities for the health sciences academic units.

A 1969 graduate of the MU School of Medicine, Dr. Crist became its dean in September 2000; in October 2004, he was named MU's first Hugh E. and Sarah D. Stephenson Dean. During his tenure, he contributed greatly to the recruitment of renowned physicians, a tripling of the school's endowment, significant increases in grant support for research, extensive construction of new labs and an ongoing effort to integrate continuous quality improvement into the curriculum and patient care.

Also a professor in the MU Department of Child Health, Dr. Crist is among the scientists credited with dramatically improving our understanding of childhood leukemias and their treatments.

Dr. Crist completed an internship in pediatrics at the University of Michigan Medical School, Mott Children's Hospital, Ann Arbor, Mich. He was a resident fellow in pediatrics and pediatric hematology at Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis Children's Hospital, St. Louis, Mo., and a fellow in pediatric hematology at St. Louis Children's Hospital.

He served as director of pediatric hematology and oncology at the University of Alabama, Birmingham; then as director of pediatric hematology and oncology at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine in Memphis; as chair of hematology and oncology at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis; and as chair of pediatric and adolescent medicine at the Mayo Medical Center in Rochester, Minn.

Dr. Crist has published extensively in the medical literature, has received a wide range of honors and awards and has served on numerous editorial boards and professional societies. He led the merger effort that formed the Children's Oncology Group, which designs and directs clinical trials for children with cancer throughout North America and beyond.

President Shelton said, "As our vice president for health affairs, we believe Bill Crist will take the UA's Arizona Health Sciences Center to the next level in terms of growth and success. His excellent track record as a medical school dean and successful fundraiser, as well as his noted work as a physician-scientist, provide the exact background we were seeking for this important new position."

Dr. Crist said, "I'm extremely excited to have the opportunity to lead the fast-emerging Arizona Health Sciences Center. I truly believe the 'sky is the limit' for the UA's health colleges and its clinical enterprise if we work together, plan appropriately and are successful in gaining additional resources."