BOCA RATON, Fla. (April 24, 2013) — Florida Atlantic University’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine welcomed Dr. John W. Newcomer, M.D., as vice dean for research and graduate programs, and Dr. Charles H. Hennekens, M.D., Dr.P.H., the first Sir Richard Doll Professor in FAU’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, as senior academic advisor to the dean.
“We are very pleased to welcome Dr. Newcomer to the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine,” said Dr. David J. Bjorkman, M.D., M.S.P.H., dean of FAU’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine. “Working with Dr. Hennekens and other members of our leadership team, Dr. Newcomer will bring a wealth of experience and a proven track record that is a tremendous asset for the growth and success of our new medical school and the expansion of our research programs to achieve the vision of our president.”
Newcomer has been a principal investigator (PI) on research grants funded through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for the past 20 years. He has held research leadership positions at Washington University in St. Louis where he was also a faculty member in the School of Medicine for more than 20 years, and at the University of Miami. In his current role, Newcomer will provide leadership in areas that include research infrastructure development and support, faculty development, collaboration with biotech industry partners, growth of sponsored research, as well as community outreach and education. He will work closely with the College’s affiliated research organizations, affiliated hospitals and community business partners. “This is an exciting time of strategic growth for Florida Atlantic University’s new medical school,” said Newcomer. “I look forward to working with my colleagues and our collaborators to advance research initiatives for the College and the University.”
FAU’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine’s research is focused in the areas of cardiovascular disease and stroke, cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease, genetic eye diseases, macular degeneration and cataracts, autoimmune diseases, malaria and HIV/AIDS. The College has research affiliations with several leading organizations including Scripps Research Institute, Scripps Florida, Max Planck Florida Institute for Neurosciences, the Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies, and the Vaccine Gene Therapy Institute Florida.
In his new role as senior academic advisor to the dean, Hennekens will work closely with Bjorkman, Newcomer and other College leadership to help advance the new medical school in the areas of faculty development, strategic planning and research program development.
Hennekens is a distinguished researcher, teacher and clinician. He was the leading recipient of investigator-initiated research grants from NIH for many years. From 1995 to 2005, Science Watch ranked Hennekens as the third most widely-cited medical researcher in the world and five of the top 20 were his former trainees and/or fellows. In 2012, Science Heroes ranked Hennekens No. 81 in the history of the world for having saved more than 1.1 million lives. Hennekens has conducted landmark trials on statins, aspirin, angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs). He also is a recipient of numerous honors and awards, which include curriculum design and teaching medical students, as well as students of public health at Harvard, Boston University, University of Miami and other prestigious academic institutions throughout the world. – FAU –
About Florida Atlantic University:Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University, with an annual economic impact of $6.3 billion, serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students at sites throughout its six-county service region in southeast Florida. FAU’s world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University is placing special focus on the rapid development of three signature themes – marine and coastal issues, biotechnology and contemporary societal challenges – which provide opportunities for faculty and students to build upon FAU’s existing strengths in research and scholarship. For more information, visit www.fau.edu.
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