John Crissman, MD, interim dean of the Wayne State University School of Medicine, has announced the appointment of Thomas W. Uhde, MD, as associate dean for research and graduate programs for the School.

Dr. Uhde will remain in his current roles as chairman of the WSU department of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences, president and chief executive officer of psychiatry and behavioral medicine professionals and specialist-in-chief of psychiatry at The Detroit Medical Center.  In conjunction with Dr. Uhde’s appointment as associate dean, WSU associate professor Manuel Tancer, MD, was named associate chair of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences.  Dr. Tancer will direct the department’s academic and administrative operations until a new chair is appointed.

Dr. Uhde came to WSU in 1993 from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), where he served as chief of the section on anxiety and affective disorders.  He is a widely published author and international expert in the biology and treatment of mood and anxiety disorders.

Since coming to Detroit, Dr. Uhde has built the WSU department of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences into a nationally recognized center for brain research and mental health training programs. He has recruited foremost scientists and clinicians, developed programs in specialized areas and expanded clinical services throughout the metropolitan area.  The department is now the only academic department of psychiatry in the United States with a doctoral degree program in brain research.

Dr. Crissman noted that Dr. Uhde’s appointment as associate dean underscores the School’s continuing commitment to increasing research productivity and strengthening the School’s reputation as a premiere center for medical research.

“Dr. Uhde is a first-rate researcher and has a proven track record for program development and administration,” noted Dr. Crissman.

“I expect his great expertise will help position the School as we develop a long range plan to strengthen our growth as a center for medical research, even in the face of difficult economic pressures.”

As associate dean, Dr. Uhde is charged with oversight of the research programs of the entire School, which currently spends $93 million annually on research, placing WSU in the top fifth of the country’s 125 medical schools.  In addition, Dr. Uhde will help to position the School to increase its share of research funding both in major clinical areas such as the neurosciences, pediatrics, oncology and women’s health as well as in the basic medical sciences.

Dr. Uhde noted that he plans to emphasize translational research.  “We need to improve the rate at which we get new discoveries of clinical importance into the community so that both patients and physicians will benefit from the superb research being conducted at Wayne.

“We also must examine new ways to partner with private industry, both in terms of drug discovery and technology transfer,” he added.

With recent changes in health care economics and Medicare, many academic medical centers have seen a reduction in federal research funding.  “Obtaining funding for medical research is becoming more difficult, especially for the basic sciences, where the clinical relevance is not always immediately evident,” said Dr. Uhde.

“We must never lose sight, however, of the seminal importance of basic laboratory and clinical research in developing new treatments.  If we are to achieve our ultimate goal of conquering today’s diseases, whether it is sickle cell anemia, cancer or schizophrenia, we must find ways to support both basic science and clinical research.”

Dr. Uhde received his undergraduate degree from Duke University and his medical degree from the University of Louisville in 1975. He completed an internship and psychiatry residency training at Yale University, followed by a research fellowship at the NIMH.  He has published more than 275 scientific papers, has received many research awards, is cited in “Best Doctors in America,” and is a member of many professional and scientific organizations.  In addition, he serves on the editorial boards of several medical journals and is co-editor-in-chief of the journal Depression and Anxiety.

The WSU School of Medicine is the largest single-campus medical school in the country, and is Detroit’s only medical school.  The School has a mission of delivering excellent medical education, research and patient care to benefit the greater community.