Mayo Clinic Names New Research Leader

Tuesday, January 08, 2013

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic has announced the appointment of Gregory Gores, M.D., as executive dean for research. He succeeds Robert Rizza, M.D., who stepped down to focus on research and patient care. Dr. Gores, previously chair of Mayo's Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, oversees research across Mayo Clinic and Mayo Clinic Health System. In assuming his new position, Dr. Gores will be the Mr. and Mrs. Ronald F. Kinney Executive Dean for Research Honoring Ronald F. Kinney, Jr.

"I'm excited and honored to be able to work with my colleagues in this new position," says Dr. Gores, the Reuben R. Eisenberg Endowed Professor of Medicine and Physiology at Mayo Clinic. "Together we will build on Mayo's long record of excellence in research to provide answers to our patients and patients everywhere."

Dr. Gores earned his medical degree from the University of North Dakota and completed his medical residency and fellowship at Mayo Clinic. He joined the clinic as a staff physician in 1986. A past recipient of a National Institutes of Health Merit Award, he is currently the principal investigator of three NIH research project grants. Dr. Gores has co-authored more than 500 publications and mentored 68 postdoctoral research and clinical fellows. His clinical and research contributions include advances in the understanding of hepatobiliary malignancies, liver transplants and the mechanisms of liver cell injury.

The announcement came from Mayo Clinic President and CEO John Noseworthy, M.D., who congratulated Dr. Gores and praised Dr. Rizza for his leadership during a time of growth and challenges in research. Dr. Gores will work closely with Steven C. Smith, chair of research administration.

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