April 12, 2011 - LOS ANGELES - Six months after launching a national search, a sole finalist was selected for president of Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, the board's chairman said today.
At their monthly meeting, the Board of Trustees chose David M. Carlisle, M.D., Ph.D. who is currently the director of the Office of Statewide Health and Planning and Development. Dr. Carlisle will meet with the campus and other constituent groups on Monday, April 18. The trustees expect to complete a contract with Dr. Carlisle, 56, shortly afterward.
"He was chosen from an exceptional list of candidates," said M. Roy Wilson, chairman, Board of Trustees, who also thanked the presidential search committee for their work. "We felt Dr. Carlisle's background, as a physician, as an educator and as a model who serves the underserved in his personal life was ideally suited to lead Charles Drew University. He's a proven leader who understands not only the mission but the potential of this university."
Dr. Carlisle added, "I feel honored to be chosen as the sole finalist of Charles Drew University. The university has created a rich legacy of education, research and community engagement that continues to make a difference in California, in the U.S. and overseas. "
In 2000, then Gov. Gray Davis appointed Dr. Carlisle to a high-level role in the state's Health and Human Services agency. Responsible for managing health-related programs, he directed an organization of more than 500 employees in seven key areas, and a $100 million annual budget.
Dr. Carlisle advocated for greater diversity within the health care industry as his career blossomed. He has been a member of the faculty since 1992 at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. During that period, he also consulted for the RAND/UCLA Center for Health Policy Studies. In 2007, he became a senior fellow at UCLA's School of Public Affairs.
His clinical work revolved around caring for the underserved. Dr. Carlisle still serves as a volunteer doctor at the Venice Family Clinic. The center, based on the west side of Los Angeles County and co-founded by CDU researcher Mayer Davidson, M.D., describes itself as the largest free clinic in the U.S.
He earned his Medical Degree in 1981 from Brown University; his Master of Public Health in 1988 from UCLA; and his Ph.D. in 1992 from UCLA's School of Public Health.
While in Westwood, Dr. Carlisle earned a prestigious fellowship as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholar. Over the years, he published numerous papers, and spoke at many forums. A common theme has been health disparities and access to care.
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