Dear Colleagues,
I am pleased to announce that Michael S. Kay, MD, PhD, has been appointed as the Director of the MD-PhD Program.
Dr. Kay is well-suited to lead and enhance the MD-PhD Program. He is widely published in the peptide drug design with a particular focus on antiviral applications. Dr. Kay started his independent academic career at the U. in 2001 after completing his MD-PhD at Stanford and postdoctoral training at MIT. He is currently a Professor of Biochemistry, Director of the Biological Chemistry Graduate Program and the NIH Chemical Biology Training Grant, and an H.A. and Edna Benning Presidential Endowed Chair.
Dr. Kay will build upon the achievements of his predecessor Robert Taylor, MD, PhD, whose leadership has placed the program in a strong position for further success. Dr. Taylor will be relocating to the University of Buffalo, where he will become Assistant Dean for MD-PhD studies and an investigator in their Clinical and Translational Research Center.
The MD-PhD Program, founded in 1993, trains students to become highly valued physician-scientists in the biomedical workforce. It enhances the educational and research activities in the health sciences and has achieved many successes including three Lindau Awards, a high F30 funding success rate, over 400 publications, outstanding residency placements, and a high percentage of graduates currently in academia.
Dr. Kay has been involved with Program for many years, is deeply committed to the success of its students, and looks forward to building on Dr. Taylor’s great work.
Please join me in thanking Dr. Taylor for his leadership and welcoming Dr. Kay to this important appointment.
Willard Dere MD FACP
B. Lue and Hope S. Bettilyon Presidential Endowed Chair in Internal Medicine for Diabetes Research
Associate Vice President for Research
Professor of Internal Medicine
Co-Director, Center for Clinical and Translational Science
Executive Director, Program in Personalized Health
University of Utah Health Sciences Center