Cedars-Sinai Names Inaugural Vice Dean of Graduate Research Education

Newswise — LOS ANGELES (May 22, 2024) -- Joshua I. Goldhaber, MD, a nationally regarded physician-scientist who has devoted much of his career to physician training and mentoring, has been named vice dean of Graduate Education.

In his new role, Goldhaber is overseeing Cedars-Sinai’s PhD and master’s degree programs, postdoctoral research scientists, clinical scholars, physician-scientist training programs, and collaborative training and education with Cedars-Sinai’s affiliate universities. 

“We are thrilled to have Dr. Goldhaber lead our mission to train scientists who will push the boundaries of basic, translational, clinical and health services research,” said Shlomo Melmed, MB, ChB, executive vice president of Medicine and Health Sciences and dean of the Medical Faculty. “Dr. Goldhaber has been a longtime contributor to our academic enterprise and a leader driving our planning for graduate research education.

Goldhaber, the Dorothy and E. Phillip Lyon Chair in Laser Research and professor of Cardiology and Biomedical Sciences, brings a wealth of experience in training, mentoring and scientific scholarship to his new position.

He joined Cedars-Sinai in 2010 as director of Basic Research Programs in the Smidt Heart Institute and associate director of the Coronary Intensive Care Unit. In 2012, he took on the role of Cardiology Fellowship Training Program director.

Goldhaber is co-director of the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai National Institutes of Health (NIH) T32 Training Program in Advanced Heart Disease Research. He also leads the Division of Applied Cell Biology and Physiology in the Department of Biomedical Sciences. His laboratory focuses on studying regulation of cardiac rhythm and contractility using high-speed laser devices.

“Dr. Goldhaber has a strong history of leading, mentoring and supporting trainees through their academic and medical education,” said Jeffrey A. Golden, MD, executive vice dean of Research and Education at Cedars-Sinai. “We are confident there is no better professional suited for this important role, and we are eager to see how Dr. Goldhaber helps develop our pipeline of future physician-scientists and scientists.”

Goldhaber’s contributions to the field are reflected in his continuous funding by NIH since 1996. He has served as president of the Western Society of Clinical Investigation and the Western Association of Physicians. He is an elected member of the Association of University Cardiologists and a fellow of the International Society of Heart Research. 

He earned his bachelor’s degree in sociology from Harvard College and graduated from Harvard Medical School. He completed his training in internal medicine and cardiology at UCLA, where he directed the Inpatient Cardiac Unit. As the inaugural director of the Human Biology and Disease curriculum in Cardiovascular, Renal and Respiratory Diseases at UCLA, he won a record seven Golden Apple Teaching Awards and multiple faculty awards for excellence in education.

“It is an honor to expand Cedars-Sinai’s growing graduate research education programs to ensure that we build a robust advanced training enterprise to ensure our students’ success in their translational medicine careers,” Goldhaber said.

Read more on the Cedars-Sinai Blog: Cedars-Sinai and Tsinghua University Collaborate for Impact