On March 8, Georgetown University President John J. DeGioia announced the appointment of Dr. J. Richard Gaintner, M.D. as interim Executive Vice President for Health Sciences, effective April 1, 2002. Gaintner will serve in this role until the appointment of a permanent EVP is completed.
“I very much look forward to working with you and MedStar … If we can not be creative, we can not be successful. We have to respect and trust each other. We have to have excellence,”Gaintner said at a Medical Center faculty meeting on Monday, where he was introduced by DeGioia to the faculty.
Gaintner will take over Dr. Sam Wiesel’s former role as EVP, allowing Wiesel to assume the job of Senior Vice President and Dean of Clinical Affairs at the Medical Center. DeGioia’s decision to appoint Wiesel to this newly-created position prompted 45 faculty members to sign a petition protesting the appointment earlier this year.
Gaintner brings more than 30 years of experience with both academic medicine and health care administration to the University. Most recently, Gaintner served as CEO of Shands HealthCare, a teaching and research hospital affiliated with the University of Florida, from 1997 to 2001. Gaintner has also worked in leadership positions at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Albany Medical Center and Harvard Medical School.
“Georgetown is an internationally renowned University, and I am pleased that I have been asked to play a role in the positive evolution of its Medical Center,” said Gaintner in a press release.
According to Karen Gale, a professor in the Department of Pharmacology, Gaintner’s appointment as interim EVP was unexpected.
“It came as a bit of a surprise … I don’t know anyone who was involved in any consultative way,” said Gale.
Gale also expressed concern that Gaintner’s strength may be weighted in hospital administration policy rather than academic development.
“From the point of view of allowing the institution to move forward with new governance structure, [the appointment] is probably very positive. From the point of view of how it’s going to move us forward as far as building the strength of our research and academic activities, it’s an unknown,” Gale said. “I’ve heard good things about Gaintner’s leadership qualities, but most of those have been more closely related to hospital situations where you’re dealing with more corporate activities as opposed to the academic component.”
Gale said that she was hopeful about the new leadership.
“I have very positive hopes. I think our administration knows that our expectations are very positive going forward,” she said.
According to a letter to the faculty from DeGioia, Gaintner will concentrate on coordinating activities with the MedStar leadership, preparing for the Liaison Committee on Medical Education accreditation process, helping with the Research Restaging Plan and working to increase Medical Center fundraising.
“The faculty and administration have been at each other for many months-?both fighting for the same thing. We’re in a position now where the faculty is being listened to,” said Chair of the Medical Center Caucus of the Faculty Senate Aviad Haramati.
