Although most of her experience took place thousands of miles away in California, Klea D. Bertakis said the programs she worked at there carried a similar mission that would surely prepare her to be dean of the Central Michigan University College of Medicine.

One of four finalists for the position to replace founding dean Ernest Yoder, who resigned last fall, Bertakis spent the majority of her career at University of California Davis. There she helped found their medical college, serving as chairperson since 1988. Bertakis completed her residency at the University of Utah College of Medicine in June, 1980.

During an open forum, Bertakis met with university and CMED officials, Monday, Jan. 12 in the Health Professions Building.

At the forum, Bertakis fielded questions about her own experience and what she hopes to bring to CMED. She said the medical school's mission was similar to the medical college at in the University of California at Davis.

"Training physicians to serve the underserved regions," Bertakis said. "It really resonates with me because it's very similar to our mission at UC Davis."

Provost Michael Gealt was impressed by Bertakis' experience at UC Davis. Gealt said the community engagement Bertakis is involved in at her current school could be valuable to CMED.

"She is engaged in her community through the family practice at UC Davis," Gealt said. "It tends to be a more rural community."

Gealt also praised Bertakis' willingness to work with multiple departments across the campus of UC Davis. He said interdepartmental and interdisciplinary learning will be essential to the future of CMED.

"There won't be any issues getting her to work across departments here," Gealt said.

Regardless of who is selected to serve as the new dean, Gealt said the biggest challenge will be to facilitate a relationship between Covenant Healthcare and St. Mary's of Michigan.

Both Saginaw hospitals serve as teaching sites for CMED East, where third and fourth year medical students will train with doctors.

"There's always been some dissension between Covenant and St. Mary's," Gealt said. "We've engaged them both here. It's great that we can all start anew."

Serving as founding director of the Center for Health Services Research in Primary Care at UC Davis in 1994, Bertakis also is the chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine.

In a rural setting, which Bertakis described as being similar to central and northern Michigan, UC Davis' medical college also aims to send students to practice in underserved regions.

"The expectation is our students will eventually practice in a rural setting," she said of UC Davis. "We have very socially aware residents. We have people who are trained leaders in the shadow of the state Capitol."

While dedicated to maintaining the mission of CMED, Bertakis also vowed to engage in "thoughtful" planning.

"I'm a person who really enjoys strategic planning. I really enjoy building programs," she said. "The first thing is to listen, to learn the culture. The next thing is to develop a strategic plan."

Planning to bring in outside facilitators to assist in the college's vision, Bertakis believes receiving accreditation is CMED's first biggest challenge. She was optimistic that CMED would have few problems when seeking accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education.

"Your leaders have done a wonderful job putting together the curriculum," Bertakis said. Obviously, you'll have a new dean, and that dean needs to be respectful of the mission. If the concern is sweeping everything away and starting fresh, that's not my style at all."

The LCME will be conducting a site visit next month, when CMED hopes to gain primary accreditation, one step below full accreditation for its program.

When asked what set CMED apart from other medical colleges in the state, and why wants to work in Michigan, Bertakis explained that being a dean would be an ideal place to retire from.

"I would like to do one more important project," she said. "Perhaps it's just this time of my life. I've had a very satisfying career, and I think it would be stimulating to be dean, especially in a place with such an emphasis on learning."

Vice President of Administration and Finance Barrie Wilkes said not only would the dean have to be a responsible spender, but also an expert in medical education. Wilkes said Bertakis did well in her forum, and that he looks forward to the other three.

"It's the same thing we're looking for in all our senior staff," Wilkes aid. "Not just good financial leaders, but also strong skills in their discipline. Based on the first interview, I'd say she's doing a good job."