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Monday, March 18, 2024

Dr. Kim Barrett joins UC Davis School of Medicine as vice dean of research

The School of Medicine selected new leadership to promote and maintain its operations 

By CHRISTINE LEE — campus@theaggie.org

 

The UC Davis School of Medicine (SOM) welcomed Dr. Kim Barrett as the vice dean of research in early November. Barrett previously served as a distinguished professor of medicine at UC San Diego and the director of graduate education at the National Science Foundation.

“I’m really excited about being here in such a vibrant institution,” Barrett said. “You may know I’ve essentially spent my entire career in the UC system, at our sister campus. But I’ve always looked at Davis in an incredibly favorable light.”

Barrett said her background working in the UC system and as a renowned researcher in gastrointestinal physiology and immunology will allow her to support early-career personnel and create pathways for them to hold faculty positions.

I am particularly excited about Dr. Barrett’s appointment, as I believe she is a leader who is ideally poised to upkeep the steep trajectory of growth in translational research in the SOM,” Dr. Angela Haczku, a professor of medicine and the associate dean for translational research, said via email. “She will be able to also significantly contribute to the training of the upcoming generations of our biomedical scientists. I am certain she will continue to foster a diverse, equitable and inclusive research community in our school.”

Barrett will also take on the program at Aggie Square, which will be an “innovation hub” on the Sacramento campus that includes research facilities, classrooms, housing and private industry partners.

“Post-graduate education is out on the Sacramento campus,” Dr. Ted Wun, a professor of medicine and the associate dean of research said. “We don’t have the excitement that you have on an undergraduate campus where you have a lot of students around so I think that’s going to be a big change for us to create a more campus feel than just an academic health center.”

Barrett said she values collaboration as vice dean and enjoys that it includes working with new voices as well as performing facilitative duties for the university.

“I’m a secret administration junkie, and I like the sort of aspects of the job that are about keeping the trains running on time, making sure that the system works effectively to support all those marvelous researchers,” Barrett said. 

 

Written by: Christine Lee — campus@theaggie.org

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