By ADAM ROBERTS & STEVE STAEGER

Senior Reporters

Oakland University introduced the first of three potential candidates for dean of its medical school Tuesday during a meet-and-greet reception.

Dr. Charles J. Shanley, senior vice president for surgical services and chair of the department of surgery at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak gave a presentation and answered questions, attempting to sell himself to a crowd of nearly 100 university administrators and faculty.

Shanley spoke about the changing technology in the medical field and how education must adapt to prepare students to practice medicine in the 21st century.

“We are uniquely positioned with an open canvas to address that need with the new medical school,” Shanley said.

He also emphasized the need for teamwork in the both the classroom and the operating room.

“To sum it up, we’re looking for general leadership, innovation and someone who is looking to the future,” said Dr. Ken Hightower, dean of the School of Health Sciences. “We want someone who is looking at what the physician of 2020 will look like.”  

The two other candidates will give similar presentations in the near future, although Provost Virinder Moudgil said there is no rush to make a decision.

Moudgil also said that the university could still choose someone outside the three candidates scheduled to give presentations.

Shanley said that his knowledge of both Oakland University and Beaumont would help him in the job.

He is no stranger to Oakland University, as he is a research professor in Health Sciences and a member of the steering committee for the new medical school.

“The ideal candidate should be one who has an appreciation of the difference of operations and activities of a public university and a clinical hospital and be able to merge both into one unit,” Moudgil said.

“The medical industry is experiencing an explosion in medical knowledge since the turn of the century,” Shanley said.

From advances in medical imaging technology to exciting breakthroughs in robotics, medical education is constantly evolving, which means a greater emphasis must be placed on information technology and communication in education, according to Shanley.

Faculty members in the audience questioned the viability of cooperation between the medical school and the rest of the academic units on campus, something Shanley outlined as a goal for the future of OU.

“One of the dean’s (of the new medical school) top priorities will be development, and funding for innovation is dependant upon our success in development,” Shanley said, when asked about the role of the dean in fundraising and management of the new school. He went on to say he looks forward to learning from OU about fundraising, citing the success of the recent capital campaign.

“Partnership to lead innovation in patient-centered medical education and research” is the mission statement for the new medical school. Whether Shanley becomes its dean or an unnamed candidate is selected, the same principles of technological advancement and teamwork will apply, according to Moudgil.

“All three are very distinguished candidates, and they all have a vision and picture for the future,” Moudgil said.

The next candidate for the position will visit campus in March and deliver a similar address, according to Vice President of Student Affairs Mary Beth Snyder.

Snyder said that the other candidates have not been identified yet.

In April, President Gary Russi announced the partnership with Beaumont Hospital with the intent to create a new medical school.

According to the medical school’s Web page on the OU site, the Liaison Committee on Medical Education is currently conducting a site survey and will until the end of the month.

Snyder said the charter class for the medical school is slated to start in fall of 2010.