Contact:	Frank D. Martinez, 277-1811
May 10, 2002 GORDON ANNOUNCES EATON AS UNM V.P. FOR HEALTH SCIENCES University of New Mexico President William Gordon today announced he has decided to remove the word "interim" from Dr. Philip Eaton's title. Gordon had named Eaton as interim Vice President for the UNM Health Sciences Center in 1998. "There has been wide agreement, both on the campus and in the community, that Dr. Phil Eaton has done an exceptional leadership job in his role as Interim Vice President for Health Sciences. However, there is also broad agreement that there are 'built-in' limitations on anyone who serves in an interim administrative capacity. For that reason, we had planned to initiate a national search this year to fill this position on a regular basis," Gordon said. "Unfortunately, this plan never materialized because of my own reticence to initiate such a search while I was uncertain as to whether I would remain at UNM. Now that that decision has been made and we are entering a presidential transition, it is unlikely that a national search could be initiated and completed within the next two or three years, because such a search would require the full involvement of UNM's next president," he said. "Since there is a critical need to have a regular Vice President in Health Sciences, and since that cannot be accomplished via a national search process in the near future, I have decided in consultation with the Regents to appoint Dr. Eaton to a four-year term as Vice President for Health Sciences. I do this with the understanding that near the end of this term, a national search will be conducted to fill this position on an ongoing basis," Gordon said. He said removing the interim aspect of Eaton's position "will provide stability for Health Sciences during this transition period, it will enable Dr. Eaton to work with maximal effectiveness, and it will ensure that Health Sciences will continue to benefit from Dr. Eaton's outstanding leadership." Eaton joined the UNM School of Medicine in 1968 as an assistant professor of Medicine. Since then, he has held positions as associate professor, 1970-75; professor of Medicine, professor of Mathematics and Statistics and chief of the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, since 1975; vice chairman of Research, Department of Medicine, 1989-97; director of the Clinical Research Center, 1990-97; associate dean for Research, since 1996; and associate director, Clinical Research Center, since 1997; among others. Before coming to UNM, Eaton was an intern in 1961-62 at Straight Medical - Barnes Hospital, Washington University, St. Louis, MO; a research associate from 1962-65 at the National Heart Institute, Bethesda, MD; a medical resident at Barnes Hospital, St. Louis, MO; and a Fellow serving as an instructor and trainee in Medicine at Washington University, St. Louis, MO; among others. He earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree with honors in Chemistry from the College of Wooster, Wooster, OH, in 1957; and his medical degree, also with honors, from the University of Chicago Medical School.

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