IRVINE : UCI Names Acting Medical College Dean

Dr. Thomas Cesario, chairman of UCI Medical Center’s Department of Medicine since 1990, has been appointed acting dean of the College of Medicine by UCI Chancellor Laurel Wilkening.

The appointment is effective March 1.

“I’m going to try very hard to help the school continue to grow and increase in prestige as it has,” Cesario said.

Cesario, 53, has taught at the school for 22 years and will act as dean while a committee searches for a permanent dean. The process could take as long as 15 months, he said.

“In the meantime, my job is to do whatever I can to see the school stays on course,” he said.

Cesario replaces his former mentor, Walter Henry, who resigned Dec. 17.

In searching for a new dean, the school will look for someone with administrative expertise and strong fund-raising skills, Cesario said.

The person chosen will probably have to revise the curriculum to “tailor it to the needs of the modern medical student” in light of the Clinton Administration’s proposed health care reforms, Cesario said.

That means training more generalists and fewer specialists and making sure that procedures are cost-effective, he said.

Cesario is co-director of the college’s Program in Geriatric Medicine. He teaches courses in microbiology and infectious diseases and is an expert in geriatric medicine, AIDS and other infectious diseases.