Dan Dorsa named School of Medicine associate dean

Dan Dorsa

Dr. Daniel Dorsa has been named associate dean for research and graduate education at the School of Medicine.

A professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and of pharmacology, and an adjunct professor of medicine, Dorsa began serving as acting associate dean of scientific affairs when his predecessor, Dr. Lee Huntsman, was appointed UW acting provost. Dorsa has been interim associate dean for the past year. The title of the associate deanship has been changed to reflect more accurately the full range of responsibilities of the position. The appointment became effective May 1.

The Office of Research and Graduate Education is responsible for School of Medicine grant and contracts management, coordination of faculty award and prize nominations, research policy specific to the school, school-wide research facilities and programs, and graduate research training in cooperation with the Graduate School, including reviews of the medical school's basic science and interdisciplinary programs. The office also coordinates and conducts investigations of accusations of scientific misconduct. Among the school-wide programs the office sponsors are the Science in Medicine Lecture Series and the Biomedical Research Integrity Lectures, featured in University Week.

The office, in collaboration with the Health Sciences Library, operates the Research Funding Service and provides other services to assist in identifying sources of research support.

The medical school's Industry Relations Office and Medical Informatics Office also operate under the direction of the associate dean for research and graduate education. In addition, the office maintains numerous databases related to research and serves as a clearinghouse for research-related announcements.

Dorsa holds a Ph.D. in endocrinology and physiology from the University of California, Davis. A member of the UW faculty since 1979, Dorsa is known for his studies of the effects of steroid hormones on the central nervous system, and for his research on the molecular basis of psychotherapeutic drugs. He heads his department's Division of Psychiatric Neurosciences.

Dorsa has given invited presentations and has chaired numerous research symposiums around the world. He is the recipient of a Distinguished Scientist Award from the National Association for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression (NARSAD). ¶