Web Site http://health.uc.edu/aboutus/Leadership   Media Contact To arrange interviews, please contact Dama Kimmon directly at (513) 558-4519. After hours, call Kimmon at (513) 919-5312. David Stern, MD Vice President for Health Affairs  Dean, College of Medicine
Office:	E-251 Medical Sciences Building, E-level PO Box 670555 Cincinnati, OH 45267
Phone:	(513) 558-7333
Fax:	(513) 558-3512
E-Mail:	david.stern@uc.edu

David Stern, MD, serves as the vice president for health affairs at UC and dean of the College of Medicine. He came to this position after a career as a physician-scientist mainly at the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Columbia University.

After completing college at Yale and medical school at Harvard, Stern began a long stint in New York at Columbia. He began as an intern in internal medicine in 1978. By the time he left New York for Georgia in 2002, he was the Carrus Professor and director of the Center for Vascular and Lung Pathobiology.

Stern's research work has focused on properties of the blood vessel wall, especially in chronic vascular disorders such as diabetes and Alzheimer's disease.

During the course of building the research Center at Columbia, Stern became fascinated with building programs at academic medical centers. That led him into administration and his first position as a medical school dean at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. Stern spent three years in Georgia where he was known for his rapid recruitment of many department chairs, enhancing the school's focus on diversity and forging a strong partnership between the school and the health system.

Stern assumed the deanship at the UC College of Medicine in August 2005, and became vice president for health affairs on Jan. 1, 2008.

Daniel Acosta Jr., PhD Dean, James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy
Office:	136 Health Professions Building PO Box 670004 Cincinnati, OH 45267
Phone:	(513) 558-3326
Fax:	(513) 558-4372
E-Mail:	daniel.acosta@uc.edu

Daniel Acosta Jr., PhD, is the fourth dean of the University of Cincinnati's James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy. He was appointed dean in the fall of 1996.

During his tenure, the college has established an entry-level PharmD program, which admitted its first class into the four-year curriculum in the fall of 2000, and annual external grant funding has increased from $350,000 to more than $1.6 million. Additionally, several new degree programs have been implemented, including one of the first master's programs in drug development.

Acosta is the first and only Hispanic dean at the University of Cincinnati and the only Hispanic dean of pharmacy among the research-intensive colleges of pharmacy across the country.

Prior to coming to the University of Cincinnati, he was a member of the University of Texas College of Pharmacy faculty for 22 years.

Acosta's research focused on the development of in vitro cellular models to explore and evaluate the mechanisms by which chemicals and drugs damage or injure specific cell types of various organs and tissues. He has published over 125 original papers, has authored 28 book chapters or reviews, and has edited three books. He is the editor of the third edition of Cardiovascular Toxicology (2001) and the journal Toxicology In Vitro.

Acosta is active in numerous scientific and professional organizations, serves on several editorial boards of toxicology and in vitro journals, and has been appointed to a number of government and private committees.

He was chairman of the FDA Scientific Advisory Board for the National Center for Toxicology Research and recently served on the Committee on Toxicity Testing and Assessment of Environmental Agents for the National Academy of Sciences, which charged the committee to review the role that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plays in public health protection. From 2000-01, Acosta served as the president of the Society of Toxicology, the largest toxicology organization in the word.

Acosta received the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America Foundation 2006 Foundation Award in Excellence, which honors an individual for a distinguished career of scientific and/or academic achievements. He also received the 2005 Society of Toxicology's Enhancement of Animal Welfare Award.

Bob Ambach Associate Senior Vice President/Chief Financial Officer Senior Associate Dean, College of Medicine
Office:	250 Health Professions Building PO Box 670663 Cincinnati, OH 45267
Phone:	(513) 558-2484
Fax:	(513) 558-2684
E-Mail:	robert.ambach@uc.edu

In February 2004, Robert Ambach became associate senior vice president and chief financial officer of the Academic Health Center and senior associate dean, fiscal affairs, for the College of Medicine.

His other university responsibilities include membership on the President's Budget Advisory Committee, fiscal coordinating committee, academic operations committee, strategic enrollment management policy council and serving as a member of the Uptown Consortium.

Ambach has spent the majority of his career in higher education administration and economic development. His career began as a Budget Analyst in the Office of Budget and Reporting with the University of Cincinnati.

After serving two years in this capacity, he joined the United States Peace Corps and served as a volunteer in the West African nation of Ghana. As a Small Enterprise Developer, he worked in rural areas of the country writing grant proposals, mentoring business owners and developing marketing, accounting and record keeping systems for small-scale enterprises.

Upon his return to the U.S. in 1993, Ambach returned to the University of Cincinnati. He held various positions within the Finance Division and was promoted through the ranks.

In 1997, Ambach completed his master's degree in public administration and international economic development. Also in 1997, he became assistant director of budget planning in the Office of the Vice President for Finance and was later promoted to university director of budget planning and served as the interim associate vice president for finance.

From March 2001 until February 2004, Ambach served as associate executive director of the Cal Poly Foundation at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. He also has managed a family business and served as a private consultant in the area of computer applications.

Sandra Degen, PhD Vice President for Research
Office:	250 Health Professions Building PO Box 670663 Cincinnati, OH 45267
Phone:	(513) 558-0026
Fax:	(513) 558-0549
E-Mail:	sandra.degen@uc.edu

Sandra Degen, PhD, was appointed vice president for research at the University of Cincinnati in November 2005 after having served as acting vice president since September 2004.

Degen is responsible for the oversight and strategic development of the university's research mission, which in fiscal year 2008 received more than $353 million in funding, placing it among the top public universities for federal research expenditures. She also is responsible for supervision of research compliance, technology transfer, entrepreneurial affairs and sponsored programs.

Degen is professor of pediatrics and associate chair for academic affairs in the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine's Department of Pediatrics.

After receiving a PhD in biochemistry from the University of Washington, Degen completed two years of postdoctoral work at the Friedrich Miescher Institute, Basel, Switzerland. She joined the faculty and staff of the College of Medicine and Cincinnati Children's Research Foundation in 1985.

A Pew Scholar in the biomedical sciences, Degen's scientific interests include the biological function of the blood coagulation agent prothrombin, as well as a protein identified in her lab that is involved in growth control. Degen holds three patents for her discoveries.

Degen is member of several boards, including TechSolve, BioStart, Ohio Aerospace Institute, Ohio Supercomputer, Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU). In March 2007, she was elected vice chair of the Council of Sponsoring Institutions of ORAU.

Her many honors include an Established Investigatorship from the American Heart Association, membership of the Hematology II Study Section at the National Institutes of Health, and participation in the Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine Program. She was awarded the 2005 Special Recognition Award in Thrombosis from the American Heart Association.

Elizabeth King, PhD Dean, College of Allied Health Sciences
Office:	315 D French East PO Box 670394 Cincinnati, OH 45267
Phone:	(513) 558-8547
Fax:	(513) 558-7494
E-Mail:	elizabeth.king@uc.edu

Elizabeth King, PhD, was appointed dean of the College of Allied Health Sciences at the University of Cincinnati in June 2002.

Previously, King served as the dean of Health and Human Services at Eastern Michigan University, and associate director of academic affairs at the Council of Higher Education in Frankfort, Ky. She also taught at the State University of New York at Buffalo following completion of her doctorate from Pennsylvania State University.

The College of Allied Health Sciences enrollment grew from 470 student in 2000 to more than 1,600 in 2007, including enrollment in distance learning programs such Clinical Laboratory Science and Health Information Management and a master's degree program in Speech Language Pathology. Other program development has included the addition of Sonography, a Coordinated Program in Dietetics, a Health Science bachelor's degree, and a Physician Leadership Program sponsored by Humana Inc.

The College of Allied Health Sciences is one of 10 health profession schools participating in a Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) Grant with the Community Partnerships for Health with the goal of changing review, promotion and tenure documents to include community engaged scholarship.

In addition, the College has developed partnerships with Cincinnati State and Woodward Career Technical High School which includes the on-site Kenneth Donnelly University of Cincinnati Audiology Clinic. 

During King's tenure, grant funding has dramatically increased from $541,788 in 2003 to $1.17 million in 2008.

King has authored two textbooks, over 25 journal articles and made numerous invited presentations. 

Andrea Lindell, PhD Dean, College of Nursing
Office:	416 Procter Hall PO Box 670038 Cincinnati, OH 45267
Phone:	(513) 558-5330
Fax:	(513) 558-9030
E-Mail:	andrea.lindell@uc.edu

Andrea Lindell, PhD, was named dean and Schmidlapp Professor of Nursing at the University of Cincinnati College of Nursing in 1990. She also serves as assistant vice president for University Hospital Academic Affairs.

Many new academic programs have been launched under her leadership, including PhD, CRNA, Midwifery, as well as on-line distance learning. Additionally, Lindell has built strong partnerships and alliances with the community, including three nurse-run clinics in underserved areas of the community, in addition to a clinic in Southeastern Indiana focusing on health problems of rural women. 

In 1994 she developed the College of Allied Health Sciences at the University of Cincinnati and served as interim dean from 1994 until 2002.

Previously, Lindell served as dean and professor at the School of Nursing, Oakland University in Rochester, Mich., and as chairman and associate professor in the department of nursing at the University of New Hampshire.

Lindell is an international consultant in curriculum and instructional design, organizational management and behavior and fiscal analysis and management. She has numerous publications in refereed journals, book chapters, and also has given presentations nationally and internationally.

She currently serves on the Board of Accreditation of the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs. She also serves on the Omnicare, Inc. Board of Directors (1993-present), a Fortune 500 company, and Advisory Board to Cedarville University. She served as president-elect and president of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing from 1996 to 2000 and treasurer of the Executive Board from 1993 to 1997.

Lindell is the recipient of numerous awards including Distinguished Administrator Award, the College of Mount St. Joseph, 1999; Oakland University Distinguished Dean's Scholar, 1997; Outstanding Leadership Alumni Award, Gannon University, 1996; Distinguished Alumni Award, Gannon University, 1994; and Who's Who of American Women, 1986-1990.

Lindell's degrees include a BS from Villa Maria College and MSN and PhD in Research from Catholic University, Washington, D.C.

Ronald Sacher, MD Director, Hoxworth Blood Center
Office:	Hoxworth Center 3130 Highland Ave., Fourth Floor Cincinnati, OH 45267
Phone:	(513) 558-1201
Fax:	(513) 558-1300
E-Mail:	ronald.sacher@uc.edu

Ronald Sacher, MD, is the director of Hoxworth Blood Center and professor of internal medicine and pathology with the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. Sacher is the fourth director in Hoxworth's 65-year history. He also served as the Christian R. Holmes Professor and interim dean of the College of Medicine from September 2004 through August 2005. 

Sacher previously served as chairman of the department of laboratory medicine and director of transfusion medicine at Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, D.C., and professor of medicine, oncology and pathology in the hematology/oncology division of the department of medicine. He was also an attending hematologist at Georgetown University Hospital and a department of pathology staff member.

Sacher has served in numerous scientific organizations and professional societies, including the American Society of Hematology, National Institutes of Health, American Association of Blood Banks and American Red Cross. He has authored over 200 scientific journal articles, chapters and abstracts and is the author of 17 books.

Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, he received his undergraduate and medical degrees from Witwatersrand University in Johannesburg. Sacher did his residency in Canada and a fellowship in hematology at Georgetown University Medical Center.

George Thomas, PhD Interim Director, Genome Research Institute
Office:	Genome Research Institute D 243 2180 East Galbraith Road Cincinnati, OH 45215
Phone:	(513) 558-7100
Fax:	(513) 558-5061
E-Mail:	george.thomas@uc.edu

George Thomas, PhD, joined the University of Cincinnati in 2005. He is the interim director at the Genome Research Institute, deputy director of the UC Cancer Center and holds the John and Gladys Strauss Endowed Chair in Cancer Research. 

Thomas is recognized for his groundbreaking studies in the purification and cloning of the cell-signaling molecules, S6K1 and S6K2. He elucidated the role of these kinases in cell growth and is responsible for the identification of the upstream regulatory components that control their activity, including the TSC1/TSC2 suppressor complex. He has focused on the role that this pathway plays in the regulation of appetite and energy balance, and the pathogenesis of metabolic disorders such as insulin resistance and diabetes.

Thomas received his bachelor's from UC San Diego and his PhD from the University of California, Santa Cruz. He then moved to the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research in Basel, Switzerland, as a fellow of the European Molecular Biology Organization. He was appointed to the faculty of the Friedrich Miescher Institute, and was promoted to senior group leader in 1983.

Thomas has received many professional appointments and awards. He was the United States representative to the Human Frontier Science Program Organization, serving on the Review Committee for Research Grants in Molecular Biology. He has been an elected member of the European Molecular Biology Organization since 1992. He was the head of a task force to establish the Basel Biology Center and New Research Institute of Diseases of the Aging, and an elected member to the Swiss Cancer league.

In 1995, Thomas was awarded the Max Cloëtta Prize for Medical Research. He is on the Scientific Advisory Boards of Novartis Oncology and The Genetics Company.