Jefferson Psychiatry Chair Appointed Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
Michael
J. Vergare, M.D., the Daniel Lieberman Professor and Chair of the
Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Jefferson Medical
College of Thomas Jefferson University, has been appointed Senior Vice
President for Academic Affairs. In this role, Dr. Vergare will serve
as the central focal point for the academic, administrative and support
functions of the university. The appointment is effective immediately.
As
a senior officer, Dr. Vergare will report to Robert L. Barchi, M.D.,
Ph.D., President of Thomas Jefferson University. He will lead the
Academic Council, chair the University Administrative Affairs Committee
of the Faculty Senate and coordinate the various faculty affairs
offices across the university. He will also oversee the Clinical
Skills Center at Jefferson and the Jefferson Center for
Interprofessional Education (JCIPE), as well as coordinate academic
affiliations with regional institutions. In addition to these duties,
Dr. Vergare will assume responsibility for the university academic
support functions, which include library services, Academic Information
Services and Research (AISR), university admissions, financial aid, and
the Registrar.
“Dr.
Vergare’s medical and administrative credentials make him the ideal
person for this integral position at Jefferson. His years of clinical
excellence and educational astuteness give him keen insight into how
the university operates,” said Dr. Barchi. “He will play a major role
in guiding Jefferson’s commitment to integrating the education of
students and residents into healthcare environments, which has been a
passion of his for many years. I am delighted that he will remain a
part of my senior leadership team.”
Dr.
Vergare will retain his appointment as the Daniel Lieberman Professor
and Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior. Dr.
Vergare is a leading expert in geriatric and administrative psychiatry
and his many honors include the Presidential Medal of the American
Psychiatric Association, the Judicare Medical Services Award, the
Philadelphia Psychiatric Society's Edward Lawlor Award and the Daniel
Blain Award. In 2004, Dr. Vergare was awarded the Albert Einstein
Society’s Physician Leadership award, a honor that recognizes
physicians who demonstrate a commitment to innovation, compassion,
research and philanthropy in healthcare. He has been ranked by Philadelphia magazine as one of the top doctors in the region, and in 2007 he became the first psychiatrist to receive the Bell of Hope
Award presented by the Mental Health Association of Southeast Pennsylvania.
His
commitment to medical student and residency education is also evident
in his numerous professional activities. He served as a member of the
educational advisory committee of Jefferson Medical College, chairman
of the graduate medical education committee of Thomas Jefferson
University Hospital, and completed a term as vice president of the
hospital’s medical staff. He also serves as a member of the residency
Review Committee for Psychiatry for the Accreditation Council for
Graduate Medical Education and as a member of the Council of Academic
Societies of the Association of American Medical Colleges.
Dr.
Vergare received a bachelor of arts degree in 1967 from LaSalle College
and a doctor of medicine degree in 1971 from Hahnemann Medical
College. He is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric
Association, and a Fellow of the American College of Psychiatrists and
the College of Physicians of Philadelphia.
Media Only Contact:
Ed Federico
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
Phone: (215) 955-6300
Published: 1/28/2009