Rao selects interim med school dean
The establishment of the Central Michigan University school of medicine is one step closer with the appointment of an interim dean.
Cam Enarson was selected to fill the position during a medical school update at the Board of Trustees meeting Thursday. For the last several months, steps to reach agreements for the school's hospital affiliations and program accreditation have been under the supervision of University President Michael Rao.
However, as his departure to Virginia Commonwealth University approaches, CMU made filling the interim spot a top priority.
"I have actually signed off on this as of now, so I can say that I really look forward to Dean-Elect Enarson's great leadership," Rao said. "We've made a lot of progress with curriculum and with facility. We know a lot more and will know a lot more with Cam coming."
From 2003 to 2008, Enarson was a vice president for health sciences and is now a professor of anesthesiology and health policy and ethics at Creighton University. He will begin his position at CMU next month with an annual salary including $308,000 in deferred compensation and up to $70,000 in performance incentives, which is $5,643 more each year than Rao's salary approved by the Board in December.
Sam Kottamasu, ad hoc medical school committee chairman and Board of Trustees vice chairman, said the appointment was made for the spirit of progress.
"As President Rao leaves the university in late June, the significant momentum to establish the medical school at CMU will carry on," Kottamasu said. "We started out with affiliation agreements, but now there is also operational agreements that they are working on. The interim dean starting May 1 will speed up the affiliation agreements."
During the Board's meeting in December, affiliations were predicted for completion this spring.
"It's pretty close, but I cannot put an exact date on it," Kottamasu said about the completion. "There is nothing for me to share because nothing is public yet."
The hospitals currently in discussion are St. Mary's of Michigan and Covenant Medical Center in Saginaw. CMU could come to an agreement under the education affiliation of Synergy Medical Education Alliance, an organization that offers community-based, fully accredited residency training programs.
A medical campus could also come to reality on vacant land between the two hospitals. Michigan Healthpark Development LLC, purchased land on the west bank of the Saginaw River for a medical complex, said Michigan Healthpark Director Jeff Schell.
The offer would allow CMU to pay the cost of construction to Michigan Healthpark or to purchase the vacant land at no cost. Schell said there has been no response from CMU and no details have been released.
"We're just kind of asking if there's anything we can do for CMU," he said.
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