Finalist Named for President of UT Health Science Center at Houston
AUSTIN – The University of Texas System Board of Regents on Wednesday (Sept. 26) named Giuseppe N. Colasurdo, M.D., the sole finalist for the presidency of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.
The Board unanimously approved the decision at a special called board meeting in which candidates were interviewed.
Dr. Colasurdo has served as the interim president of UT Health Science Center – Houston since former president Larry Kaiser, M.D., stepped down last year. An internationally known researcher and pediatrician, Dr. Colasurdo joined the faculty of the UTHSC-Houston Medical School in 1995 and was named chair of the division of pediatrics in 2005. In 2007, he became dean and H. Wayne Hightower Distinguished Professor in the Medical Sciences at UTHSC-Houston Medical School.
Dr. Kaiser stepped down April 1, 2011 to lead the Temple University Health System in his hometown of Philadelphia.
“Dr. Colasurdo is a remarkable clinician and educator and we are confident he is the right choice to lead the UT Health Science Center – Houston to even greater levels of teaching, research and medical care,” said Regents’ Chairman Gene Powell. “Selecting a campus president is one of the most important decisions Regents make. Dr. Colasurdo was chosen from an outstanding group of candidates and, on behalf of the Board, I would like to thank all the candidates who took part in the process.”
A native of Morrone del Sannio, Italy, Dr. Colasurdo completed his undergraduate education at Liceo Scientifico Galileo Galilei in Pescara, Italy. He earned his medical degree from G. D'Annunzio School of Medicine in Chieti, Italy. Dr. Colasurdo came to the United States in 1988 and now has dual citizenship.
“We are extremely happy with the Board’s decision to name Dr. Colasurdo as sole finalist for this critical position. Our advisory committee, composed of faculty, staff, alumni and community leaders, performed admirably in reviewing an exemplary pool of candidates and narrowing the field to the very best in the fields of medicine and health administration,” said Kenneth I. Shine, M.D., executive vice chancellor for health affairs and chair of the presidential search advisory committee. “We are grateful to the committee for its hard work and dedication.”
Under state law, university governing boards must name finalists for a presidency at least 21 days before making an appointment.
About The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), the most comprehensive academic health center in The UT System and the U.S. Gulf Coast region, is home to schools of biomedical informatics, biomedical sciences, dentistry, medicine, nursing and public health. UTHealth educates more healthcare professionals than any health-related institution in Texas and features the nation’s seventh-largest medical school. It also includes a psychiatric hospital and a growing network of clinics throughout the region. The university’s primary teaching hospitals include Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital and Lyndon B. Johnson General Hospital. www.uth.edu
About The University of Texas System
Educating students, providing care for patients, conducting groundbreaking research and serving the needs of Texans and the nation for more than 130 years, The University of Texas System is one of the largest public university systems in the United States, with nine academic universities and six health science centers. Student enrollment exceeded 215,000 in the 2011 academic year. The UT System confers more than one-third of the state’s undergraduate degrees and educates nearly three-fourths of the state’s health care professionals annually. The UT System has an annual operating budget of $13.1 billion (FY 2012) including $2.3 billion in sponsored programs funded by federal, state, local and private sources. With roughly 87,000 employees, the UT System is one of the largest employers in the state. www.utsystem.edu
