Dean Robert M. Mentzer, Jr., recently announced the appointment of Kenneth Palmer, Ph.D., as interim chairman of the department of pathology.

"I am confident that Dr. Palmer will provide outstanding interim leadership to the department," Dean Mentzer said.

Dr. Palmer is an associate professor of pathology and the associate dean for graduate programs. He was the first director of the M.D./Ph.D. program at Wayne State University. He joined the faculty in 1980 as assistant professor of pathology and chief of the division of pulmonary pathobiology.

Dr. Palmer was recruited from Boston University School of Medicine and the Mallory Institute of Pathology. A Massachusetts native, Dr. Palmer received his M.S. in developmental biology from Villanova University, in Villanova, Penn., and his Ph.D. in pathology from Boston University. His research interests include pulmonary pathobiology, inhalation toxicology, occupational/environmental lung disease, ultrastructural immunocytochemistry and apoptosis.

For clinical laboratory operations, Dr. Palmer will be supported by Wael Sakr, M.D. Dr. Sakr is a professor of pathology and vice chair of anatomic pathology.