Karen Mourtzikos, M.D., executive vice dean for the Wayne State University School of Medicine, has been appointed associate vice president of Wayne State University Health Affairs.

Dean Mark E. Schweitzer, M.D., dean of the School of Medicine and vice president of WSU Health Affairs, announced the appointment, which is effective immediately, Feb. 23.

Dean Schweitzer said that Dr. Mourtzikos will assist him establishing the WSU School of Public Health and in recruiting a founding dean for the new school.

“Her efforts will ensure that WSU continues advancing innovation to promote health and wellness, and addressing health disparities in Detroit and the region, by developing health care professionals dedicated to meeting community needs and becoming members of interdisciplinary health care teams that understand and address Detroit’s unique health care requirements,” he said. “We have much work to do in advancing WSU’s health and education missions in the region, and Dr. Mourtzikos will play a key role in developing that future.”

Dr. Mourtzikos also will assist in additional projects designed to advance the university’s status as the core health education center and nationally-ranked medical school in the region.

“The Health Affairs team will be focused on opportunities to present the tremendous, collaborative work being done within and between Wayne State health professional schools," Dr. Mourtzikos said. "Daily, we make an impact on health in our neighborhoods. We want that story to influence how we continue our mission to overcome health inequities and disparities. This will be done through training students in  interdisciplinary care at our clinical affiliates, building a beautiful new facility for patient care access, student education and research here in Detroit, and expanding our public health offerings to develop leaders who help eradicate health care obstacles.”

Dr. Mourtzikos joined the School of Medicine in November 2020 as executive vice dean, overseeing Graduate Medical Education, Continued Medical Education, enhanced clinical affiliations, leadership searches and special projects.

She came to the School of Medicine from the Stony Brook University Renaissance School of Medicine in New York, where she was an assistant professor of Clinical Radiology, vice chair of Faculty and Staffing Administration, and associate director of the Diagnostic Radiology Residency Program.

A specialist in Nuclear Medicine, she received her bachelor’s degree cum laude from Union College in Schenectady, N.Y., in 1996 and her medical degree from Albany Medical College in 1999. She completed a Nuclear Medicine residency at the University of Maryland Medical System, where she was chief resident, and then completed a fellowship in Radiology and Radiological Science-Nuclear Medicine at Johns Hopkins University. She was appointed to Stony Brook University Hospital in 2018. She is board certified by the American Board of Nuclear Medicine and is a member of the American Medical Association and the Society of Nuclear Medicine.