Pescovitz to leave IU, accepts Michigan post

Dr. Ora Pescovitz, executive associate dean of research at the IU School of Medicine, was elected Monday to be
University of Michigan’s executive vice president for medical affairs and CEO of the U-M Health System.

The decision is pending a U-M board vote March 19, according to a U-M press release.

Pescovitz initiated changes within the IU School of Medicine and also served as president and CEO of Riley Hospital for Children, according to an IU press release. Beginning May 11, she will take on the highest leadership position in the health program at U-M.

Since her arrival in 2000, IU’s medical school research has doubled in size to $260 million every year in grants and contracts, and Pescovitz’s oversight led to the development of 700,000 square feet of research space within the School of Medicine.

After being named the president and CEO of Riley Hospital for Children in 2003, Pescovitz oversaw the construction of the Simon Family tower.

“Dr. Pescovitz joins the University at a critical juncture for the Health System, as it positions itself to serve the region and nation in a time of rapidly evolving health care,” said University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman in a press release.

Pescovitz was also a finalist for the IU presidency in 2007, before Michael McRobbie was selected as president.

“Ora is a valued colleague and friend who has made enormous contributions to the school, Riley, the health of our citizens and to our community in general,” said Craig Brater, dean of the IU School of Medicine, in an IU press release.

“I am honored and excited to take on a new challenge at the University of Michigan,” Pescovitz said in the press release. “But as I leave, I could not be more proud of the remarkable advances that Riley Hospital, Clarian Health, Indiana University and its school of medicine have made in the past two decades.”

U-M’s medical school is ranked higher than IU’s, according to the US News and World Report Web site. However, the exact reason Pescovitz decided to leave IU is unknown. Pescovitz could not be reached by press time for comment.

“We truly regret her departure,” said IU School of Medicine dean Craig Brater in the IU release, “but we celebrate her success and wish her well.”