Mark L. Tykocinski, M.D., Named Dean of Jefferson Medical College
After
an extensive national search, Mark L. Tykocinski, M.D., has been named
dean of Jefferson Medical College and senior vice president of Thomas
Jefferson University in Philadelphia. Dr. Tykocinski will also serve
as president of Jefferson University Physicians, the faculty practice
plan. The University Board of Trustees’ appointment takes effect
December 1, 2008.
“Dr.
Tykocinski is an internationally-renowned physician, researcher and
educator whose experience in academics, administration and clinical
science make him the ideal person to lead Jefferson Medical College,”
said Robert L. Barchi, M.D., Ph.D., president of Thomas Jefferson
University. “His vision and creativity in the research laboratory have
resulted in discoveries that have advanced our understanding of human
biology, while his commitment to clinical care has helped to redefine
our concept of modern diagnostic medicine.”
Brian
G. Harrison, chairman, Board of Trustees, Thomas Jefferson University,
noted that, “The search committee, led by University trustee Charles G.
Kopp, Esq., interviewed a number of outstanding candidates. Dr.
Tykocinski’s proven leadership abilities and his exceptional academic
background were the compelling factors in his selection by the board.
I know the entire Jefferson community welcomes the opportunity to work
with him to advance the University’s academic, clinical and research
missions.”
As
dean of Jefferson Medical College, Dr. Tykocinski has primary
responsibility for the quality of the school’s medical education. In
addition, he will guide the research mission of the college and its
nearly 1,000 full-time faculty. Working with many of the country’s
leading scientists, he will actively implement Jefferson’s basic and
translational research agenda. The dean also provides the critical
leadership and direction necessary to ensure the continued success of
the clinical practice plan for faculty. Dr. Tykocinski will work
closely with the leadership of Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals to
develop outstanding clinical programs that encompass both the
outpatient and inpatient setting in providing the highest quality
patient-centered care.
For
the past ten years, Dr. Tykocinski was professor and chair of the
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of
Pennsylvania School of Medicine. The department – one of the largest
at Penn – has more than 130 faculty members and 1,000 total staff.
Under his leadership, the department now ranks first in National
Institutes of Health (NIH) funding among departments of Pathology in
the country, and total departmental grant support is almost $50 million
annually. Dr. Tykocinski has built a comprehensive clinical services
infrastructure at Penn, encompassing clinical laboratory and tissue
diagnostics and transfusion medicine. His department also features
leading residency and fellowship training programs, considered by many
to be among the top in the country.
Dr.
Tykocinski holds several research patents in the fields of molecular
and cellular immunology. His work has focused on the design of novel
fusion proteins with immunotherapeutic potential, as well as unique
cellular engineering strategies that invoke these proteins. His
findings have contributed to the development of innovative strategies
for treating cancer and autoimmune diseases. In his career, he also
pioneered a novel class of eukaryotic expression vectors, which are now
widely used by other laboratories around the world.
In
addition to his research and medical expertise, Dr. Tykocinski brings a
wealth of administrative experience to Jefferson. At Penn, Dr.
Tykocinski served on both the Executive Committee and Finance Committee
of the Board of Directors of the faculty practice plan (the Clinical
Practices of the University of Pennsylvania, or CPUP). In addition, he
chaired the university’s Life Sciences Strategic Planning Committee,
which charted a seven-year plan for all life sciences on the Penn
campus.
“My
leadership roles over the past few years have given me personal
experience and perspective on what it takes for an academic medical
center to flourish, and I look forward to using this experience to
build upon the longstanding tradition of excellence and preeminence
enjoyed by Jefferson,” said Dr. Tykocinski.
Before
coming to Penn, Dr. Tykocinski held prominent university and medical
school appointments at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU). He
spent a total of 15 years at the university, rising through the ranks
to become a tenured professor in the Department of Pathology. Dr.
Tykocinski was the director and founder of the Gene Therapy Facility at
the CWRU School of Medicine. He also was the director of the CWRU
Molecular Biology Core Facility at the university’s Skin Research
Center.
Dr.
Tykocinski is a nationally recognized leader in the field of Pathology
and Laboratory Medicine. Currently, he is the president of the
Association of Pathology Chairs, and is past-president of the American
Society for Investigative Pathology. He has been frequently called upon
to serve as an external consultant for Pathology departments across the
country. Dr. Tykocinski has served on and chaired a major NIH Study
Section.
In
1995, Dr. Tykocinski was honored with the Warner-Lambert/Parke-Davis
Award for Outstanding Research from the American Society for
Investigative Pathology. He was honored as an Alpha Omega Alpha
Distinguished Alumnus at New York University, and was an honorary
inductee to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, in 2005. He
also serves on the editorial board for the American Journal of Pathology and Molecular Oncology.
Dr. Tykocinski earned a bachelor of arts in Biology magna cum laude
from Yale University in 1974, and was awarded his medical degree from
New York University in 1978. He completed an Internal Medicine
internship at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City in
1979, and residency training in Anatomic Pathology in the Department of
Pathology at New York University in 1981. From 1981-1983, he was a
Medical Staff Fellow in the Laboratory of Immunogenetics of the
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the NIH in
Bethesda, Maryland.
About Jefferson Medical College
Founded
in 1824, Jefferson Medical College is one of the largest private
medical schools with among the largest living alumni group in the
nation. It offers both traditional medical education and innovative
joint degree programs to its enrollment of over 900 students each year
and has awarded more than 29,000 medical degrees. Approximately one
fourth of all medical school applicants throughout the country apply to
Jefferson. Jefferson Medical College serves as the medical school for
the State of Delaware.
Editor’s Note: Dr. Tykocinski resides in Merion Station, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Media Only Contact:
Ed Federico
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
Phone: (215) 955-6300
Published: 11/10/2008