Jack D. Sobel, M.D., dean of the Wayne State University School of Medicine, has been appointed interim vice president for Health Affairs for the university.

He will continue to serve as dean of the School of Medicine.

University President M. Roy Wilson announced the appointment Sept. 17, and said Dr. Sobel will continue to serve in both capacities until the successful recruitment and arrival on campus of a permanent vice president for health affairs/dean of the School of Medicine.

“Dr. Sobel has done an excellent job leading the medical school, and I am grateful for his continued service in this new role as we work to find another world-class leader for Wayne State’s health affairs,” President Wilson said in his announcement.

Dr. Sobel, a distinguished professor of Internal Medicine, has served as dean of the School of Medicine since his initial appointment as interim dean in November 2014, and then as full dean in June 2015.

The university initially established the Office of Vice President for Health Affairs as a separate position in June 2015, with the deans of the School of Medicine, College of Nursing and Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences reporting to that office.

In June, President Wilson and Provost Keith E. Whitfield announced that the university would launch a search for a combined vice president for Health Affairs/dean of the School of Medicine.

As vice president for Health Affairs, the chosen candidate will report to the president and serve as a senior leader for Wayne State’s health affairs-related initiatives, including responsibility for clinical affairs within the College of Nursing and the Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. The deans in the College of Nursing and the Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences will report to the provost for Academic Affairs and to the vice president for Health Affairs for clinical affairs.

The position’s objectives include working collaboratively with the deans to integrate and align clinical care and education opportunities in partnership with health care provider networks, develop and implement interprofessional programs for education and professional development, and foster intercollegiate research efforts. The candidate will also champion collaboration among the constituent components of Wayne State University, including the health science schools and colleges, the hospitals and the systems’ outpatient faculty practices regarding clinical resource allocation decisions.

The successful candidate will have the special opportunity to shape the future of the School of Medicine, which is uniquely positioned for broad impact across all aspects of its mission; lead an interprofessional team to enhance cross-disciplinary collaboration that advances the health affairs-related mission of the university; collaborate with key stakeholders to develop new methods of research, education and care delivery that serve as a global model for urban-based academic health centers and address the health needs of the diverse and vulnerable populations of Detroit, southeast Michigan and the upper Midwest; and make signature contributions to the role of academic health centers and the public health mission in urban environments.