Is Installed as President of the American Urological Association
Dr. E. Darracott Vaughan, who was recently installed as president of the American Urological Association (AUA), has stepped down as chairman of the Department of Urology and as senior associate dean for clinical affairs at Weill Cornell Medical College. While relinquishing these positions, Dr. Vaughan will continue as professor of urology at Weill Cornell and as chief medical officer of the Medical College's Physician Organization (PO).
Dr. Antonio Gotto, dean of the Medical College, has announced that Dr. H. Dirk Sostman, chairman of the Department of Radiology, will succeed Dr. Vaughan as senior associate dean for clinical affairs and that Dr. Peter Schlegel, associate professor of urology, has been named acting chairman of the Department of Urology.
Dr. Vaughan, who joined the Medical College in 1978 as chief of the Division of Urology in the Department of Surgery, became chairman of urology when it became a full department in 1994. Under his leadership, Cornell's urology program has been a national leader in clinical care, research and education. It developed the first lithotripsy center in the metropolitan area and is also a leader in laparoscopic and minimally invasive surgery for urological disorders. Its residency program is one of the most competitive in the U.S.
In 1993, Dr. Vaughan was also appointed the first senior associate dean for clinical affairs at the Medical College—taking on the formidable task of restructuring the organization of Cornell's faculty practice plans in response to the fundamental changes taking place in health-care reimbursement due to the growth of HMO's and managed care.
"With faculty practice revenues accounting for 50 percent or more of operating budgets for U.S. medical schools, the revolutionary changes taking place in health-care financing posed a significant threat to the schools' ability to carry out their missions in education, research and clinical care," said Dean Gotto. "Dr. Vaughan took on the task at Cornell to meet these challenges by strategically revamping the faculty practice plan and creating our Physician Organization for faculty practice, which is regarded as one of the best academic group practices in the nation," said Dean Gotto.
"We congratulate Dr. Vaughan on the honor of becoming president of the American Urological Association, and we are tremendously pleased that he will remain with us and continue serving as chief medical officer of the Physician Organization while serving as president of the AUA," said the dean.