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Dr. Eugene Washington starts as dean of the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine

By Kavitha Subramanian

Jan. 31, 2010 10:30 p.m.

Dr. Eugene Washington has some very specific goals for UCLA’s health system, one of which is to find out where the money is going.

“My goal is to look very vigorously at how we are using our current dollars during the budget crisis,” Washington said. “I want to ensure that we are optimizing our current investments.”

Washington will begin this process today, when he takes over the positions of dean of the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine and vice chancellor of UCLA Health Sciences.

Prior to taking this job, Washington was executive vice chancellor and provost at the University of California, San Francisco.

“I am pleased and proud that the chancellor was successful in attracting (Dr. Washington) to take my place,” said Dr. Gerald Levey, the outgoing dean and vice chancellor. “He comes from a great university, which I am sure had a great effect on him as a leader.”

Levey stepped down on Friday, but will continue to hold a faculty position at UCLA.

Because of the tighter budget, some programs in the UCLA health system may have to be scaled down or eliminated, Washington said. However, he added that expansion was also necessary.

“Even if we scorch the earth, along the way we will have to plant some seeds,” Washington said.

One of the dean’s biggest objectives is to develop programs that promote diversity across all aspects of the medical school, Washington said.

With a background in both medicine and public health policy, the new dean has much experience in combining the two disciplines to help greater numbers of people.

While at UCSF, Washington spearheaded the Pinpoint Diversity Initiative, a series of goals that encouraged an increase in diversity through outreach programs and increased communication among students, faculty and staff.

Washington is bringing this same philosophy to UCLA, where he said he hopes to diversify sources of financial support in order to build the university’s health sciences programs.

“We need to make up for the funds that we got from the state before by (getting money from) the National Institute of Health, philanthropic organizations and businesses,” Washington said.

The dean said he plans to develop a “comprehensive strategic plan” for the next few decades that will draw together different organizations both within and outside UCLA.

“My vision of the future is that to really have an impact, medicine will (have to) be a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach,” Washington said.

This belief, Washington added, is the reason he was initially drawn to UCLA.

“I am attracted to being in an institution with excellent programs across the health sciences, and also a school with complementary programs on campus, like the business and engineering schools,” Washington said.

Washington himself is an example of the multidisciplinary approach to health. Although a practicing gynecologist, the dean also holds graduate degrees in public health from Harvard University and University of California, Berkeley.

“My father was a minister, and I saw that he really worked to help other people,” Washington said. “I began to think about what I could do to help.”

Washington remembers one incident that reinforced his desire to help under-served populations.

A 16-year-old girl with asthma came into the emergency room many years ago, he said. She was already a mother to two children and was pregnant with her third child at the time.

“She was going to have a very different life course.” Washington said. “It just reminded me that so much was wrong, and also of the connection between health, education and socio-economic status.”

Many of Washington’s colleagues said his philosophy was evident in his leadership style.

“Gene cares a lot for his patients and has a lot of integrity,” said Dr. S. Claiborne Johnston, assistant vice chancellor for research and a director for the Clinical and Translational Science Institute at UCSF. “He never fails to keep his word.”

Furthermore, Johnston mentioned that two of Washington’s strong attributes were his sense of humor and wittiness.

Washington also stated that he is a big proponent of the Socratic method, which involves answering a question with a question in order to fuel analytical thinking. Still, he will not push his students into a corner if they do not know the answer, he added.

“I have been (teaching) long enough that I tell jokes about myself. I’m pretty self-deprecating, actually,” Washington said, laughing.

Washington will not only be teaching and leading at UCLA, however. He said he hopes to use his enthusiasm both inside and outside the office to help him make significant contributions to UCLA in the years ahead. An avid cyclist, the new dean said he hopes to join a riding club on campus and participate in local tours.

“I am a very outdoorsy person,” Washington said. “I like hiking in the woods, skiing, a lot of other things, too.”

“I love music, especially jazz and classical,” Washington said, his voice rising with excitement. “It is not for the background, though. My greatest moments, when I feel the best about life, are when I am listening to music.”

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