Dr. Michael G. Stewart Appointed Vice Dean and Dr. John P. Leonard as Associate Dean for Clinical Research at Medical College
NEW YORK (July 5, 2012) — Weill Cornell Medical College has appointed Dr. Michael G. Stewart to the new role of vice dean for the Medical College and Dr. John P. Leonard as the new associate dean for clinical research.
"I am pleased to announce the creation of the new position of vice dean with Dr. Michael Stewart's appointment to this new role," said Dr. Laurie H. Glimcher, the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medical College. "Dr. Stewart's hard work and dedicated service to Weill Cornell has already helped advance our mission of excellence and our clinical partnerships. I look forward to continuing to work closely with him in this new important position."
In his role as vice dean, Dr. Stewart will work directly with Dean Glimcher to enhance Weill Cornell's academic and clinical missions. Dr. Stewart will assist with academic and clinical program development, implementation and evaluation. He will also lead strategic planning initiatives and be the liaison with Weill Cornell's academic partners and affiliates, including Weill Cornell Medical College-Qatar. In addition, he will oversee local and global affiliations, collaborations and program development with the Medical College's clinical and educational partners.
As the new associate dean for clinical research, Dr. Leonard will carry out his and Dean Glimcher's vision for clinical research excellence at Weill Cornell to enhance the care of patients and advance medical science. Dr. Leonard will lead strategic planning and implementation of all clinical research initiatives and activities, including the oversight of the Institutional Review Board, Conflicts and Compliance Programs and other clinical research resources. In addition, he will oversee Weill Cornell's new venture to create a joint clinical trials office between the Medical College and its long-time affiliate NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. He will be responsible for increasing Weill Cornell's participation in high-quality clinical trials, research funding and partnerships with private industry.
"Dr. Leonard's expertise and long-term commitment to research excellence will help revolutionize and grow our clinical research enterprise," said Dean Glimcher. "Clinical research is critically important to the health of our patients and it is our social responsibility to seize the opportunity to cultivate our clinical research programs and advance patient care. Dr. Leonard will help foster the acceleration of translational medicine at Weill Cornell from the laboratory bench to the patient's bedside, and vice versa, to achieve our clinical research goals."
Dr. Leonard will continue to serve as the Richard T. Silver Distinguished Professor of Hematology and Medical Oncology, vice chairman for clinical research in the Department of Medicine and associate director for clinical research at the Weill Cornell Cancer Center. As an internationally-recognized hematology and oncology expert specializing in the treatment of lymphomas, Dr. Leonard has been a pioneer in monoclonal antibody based therapies. Dr. Leonard received his undergraduate degree from Johns Hopkins University and is a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Medicine. He has been at Weill Cornell since his training as a resident, chief resident and hematology-oncology fellow.
Dr. Stewart will also continue to serve on the leadership team at Weill Cornell as the E. Darracott Vaughan Jr., M.D. Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs and professor and chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery and Otolaryngologist-in-Chief at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, positions he has held since 2005.
As a dedicated teacher, an innovative researcher and renowned expert in outcomes research and evidence-based medicine in otolaryngology, Dr. Stewart's clinical practice is general otolaryngology, and he has particular expertise in nose and sinus disease, sleep breathing disorders and head and neck trauma. Dr. Stewart received his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, completed residency training in general surgery and otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at Baylor College of Medicine and received his M.P.H. degree from the University of Texas School of Public Health. As a member of the faculty at Baylor College of Medicine, he served as associate professor and director of residency education in the Department of Otolaryngology, chief of service at Ben Taub General Hospital and associate dean of clinical affairs, before joining Weill Cornell.
Weill Cornell Medical College
Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University's medical school located in New York City, is committed to excellence in research, teaching, patient care and the advancement of the art and science of medicine, locally, nationally and globally. Physicians and scientists of Weill Cornell Medical College are engaged in cutting-edge research from bench to bedside, aimed at unlocking mysteries of the human body in health and sickness and toward developing new treatments and prevention strategies. In its commitment to global health and education, Weill Cornell has a strong presence in places such as Qatar, Tanzania, Haiti, Brazil, Austria and Turkey. Through the historic Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Cornell University is the first in the U.S. to offer a M.D. degree overseas. Weill Cornell is the birthplace of many medical advances — including the development of the Pap test for cervical cancer, the synthesis of penicillin, the first successful embryo-biopsy pregnancy and birth in the U.S., the first clinical trial of gene therapy for Parkinson's disease, and most recently, the world's first successful use of deep brain stimulation to treat a minimally conscious brain-injured patient. Weill Cornell Medical College is affiliated with NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, where its faculty provides comprehensive patient care at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. The Medical College is also affiliated with the Methodist Hospital in Houston. For more information, visit weill.cornell.edu.