22 | MAY 28 • 2020

M

ark Schweitzer, M.D., 57, the new
dean of Wayne State University
School of Medicine and vice
president of Health Affairs for the univer-
sity, is a preeminent radiologist who served
most recently as chair of the Department
of Radiology at the Stony Brook University
School of Medicine in New York.
“We conducted in-depth interviews
with a number of outstanding candidates
during a yearlong national search, and Dr.
Schweitzer’
s experience, enthusiasm and
vision made him a perfect fit for Wayne
State University,
” said M. Roy Wilson,
M.D., university president.
Dr. Schweitzer succeeds Jack Sobel,
M.D., who served as dean for the past five
years and will continue on the medical
school’
s faculty.
In addition to extensive achievements as
a researcher and educator, Dr. Schweitzer
has served as an administrator in many
hospitals, including vice chair for clini-
cal practice and chair of the Information
Management Group for Thomas Jefferson
University Hospital in Philadelphia. He has
served on advisory panels for the National
Institutes of Health and the Food and
Drug Administration and as a principal or
co-principal investigator on more than 30
grants.
A native of Plainview, New York, Dr.
Schweitzer received his bachelor of sci-
ence in biomedical education at the City
University of New York and graduated
from a combined six-year medical pro-
gram at the State University of New York

at Buffalo at age 23. He
completed a residency
in diagnostic radiolo-
gy at Nassau County
Medical Center (now
Nassau University
Medical Center) and a
fellowship in musculo-
skeletal radiology at the
University of California, San Diego. He has
published extensively, served as a lecturer
at Harvard University Medical School, and
holds many medical patents.
“I attended inner-city public universities
during my undergraduate and medical
school training, and I served at public safe-
ty net hospitals,
” Dr. Schweitzer says. “My
passion throughout my career has been
education at all levels. The DNA of Wayne
State University and the city of Detroit are
intertwined, and the university’
s national
reputation is illustrious. I’
m very much
looking forward to serving the people of
greater Detroit and Michigan.
”
Dr. Schweitzer says that his religion and
Jewish heritage, including its ethical teach-
ings, are an important aspect of his profes-
sional life. He and his wife, Sharyl, a Stern
College graduate, and their family live in
West Bloomfield and attend The Shul.
Dr. Schweitzer explained more about his
career and new position during a recent
online video interview.

JN: What was the appeal of this position?
Dr. Schweitzer: My passion is medical
education. I like to solve problems — that’
s

my skill set. I thought I could make a dif-
ference.
JN: What are the School of Medicine’
s
strengths?
Dr. Schweitzer: It has a 150-year illus-
trious history. There is a can-do attitude of
the students and graduates and a commit-
ment to Detroit.
JN: What are your short-term and long-term
goals?
Dr. Schweitzer: Wayne State University
is the largest single-campus medical school
in the U.S. It trains 300 stu-
dents a year. We need to shore
up clinical sites and implement
a new curriculum.
JN: What do you see as the
biggest challenges for your role?
Dr. Schweitzer: To ensure
that medical education is avail-
able to students whatever dis-
ruptions may occur. (He noted
that most medical students
couldn’
t work in hospitals
during the COVID pandemic).
JN: How does Wayne
State University School of
Medicine rank as a research
institution?
Dr. Schweitzer: Toward the upper
middle. It’
s a good research institution,
especially in ophthalmology and visual
sciences, basic sciences, biochemistry and
population health.
JN: Your biography mentions that
you have participated in many clinical
trials and hold a lot of patents. Can you
describe these?
Dr. Schweitzer: I worked on rheumato-
logical agents for 20 to 25 years. I consult
once or twice a year for the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA).
JN: What is the status of the School of
Medicine’
s relationship with the Detroit
Medical Center?
Dr. Schweitzer: I’
m hopeful that we can
have a positive, mutually beneficial rela-
tionship but there won’
t be an alignment of
incentives. Tenet (the for-profit corporation
based in Texas that has owned the Detroit
Medical Center since 2013) has to send
money to Dallas while the Detroit Medical
Center is taking care of poor people. These
are different missions but commonalities
in our needs. I am open-minded about
nonprofits.

Jews in the D

Challenges and
Opportunity

New dean looks to
enhance Wayne State
Medical School.

SHARI S. COHEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

WSU School
of Medicine

Mark Schweitzer, M.D.

WSU