University of Utah Health has appointed Willard H. Dere, MD, as Associate Vice President for Research. Michael L. Good, MD, Senior Vice President announced the appointment and said it was effective September 1, 2019.
For the past year, Dr. Dere has served as interim associate vice president. Moving forward, he will establish and maintain a culture of research excellence and oversee the research enterprise in health sciences, working in conjunction with University of Utah's Vice President for Research. In this leadership role, Dr. Dere will establish institutional priorities for investment and effort, and will guide and evaluate research initiatives.
A professor of Internal Medicine, Dr. Dere also serves as Co-Director, Center for Genomic Medicine and Co-Director of the Utah Center for Clinical and Translational Science. He has extensive experience in clinical research, complementing his 25 years in the biopharmaceutical industry with substantive work in drug safety and regulations.
Dr. Good said, "Dr. Dere has served in a number of research leadership positions over the past few years, during which our research programs have advanced at an impressive rate. Dr. Dere is a faculty-oriented leader who focuses on reducing system friction, barriers and obstacles so faculty can achieve their research goals. He is the right person to lead us forward in the next chapter of our great research journey."
According to Andy Weyrich, University of Utah's Vice President for Research, "Will Dere has proven to be an extraordinary leader and is recognized across campus for his ability to build strengths and partnerships in Health Sciences. His expertise in clinical research, his business acumen, and his strong dedication to our researchers has been instrumental in the successes of our research initiatives."
Regarding his appointment, Dr. Dere said, "I'm eager to build on the U's muscle in health research by engaging in research that integrates the entire health campus. I plan collaboration with deans of the Schools of Dentistry and Medicine, the Colleges of Health, Nursing, and Pharmacy, as well as main campus."
Dr. Dere received his internal medicine residency training at U of U Health's School of Medicine. After further training in endocrinology and metabolism at the University of California, San Francisco, he returned to Utah to join the medical school faculty.