Next Med School Dean Faces Difficult Task Job ‘Unrelenting In Its Demands,’ Acting Dean Says

It’s one of the top-paying jobs on the state payroll, a position carrying nationwide prestige with jurisdiction over 8,200 people and an $800 million budget.

For many who might qualify, though, being dean of the 50-year-old University of Washington medical school isn’t worth the grief.

The health care industry is in turmoil, government support is dwindling, the public is demanding a holddown on costs and competition from private hospitals and research companies is growing.

“It’s a meat grinder. It eats you up. It’s unrelenting in its demands,” acting dean John Combs said.

“There are 1,000 points of veto you always have to be anticipating. I think the dedicated pool of people who do this often say it isn’t compatible with their future happiness.”

So why does anyone do it?

“Every day you have the opportunity to feel like you’re really contributing to the future,” Coombs said.

He would not say whether he will apply to replace Dean Philip Fialkow, 62, who died in an avalanche after being trapped by a snowstorm in Nepal last month.

Deans have been sought for 37 of the nation’s 125 medical schools this year, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. Average tenure is 2-1/2 years.

With 1,700 faculty members and 6,500 staff, the program in Seattle is rated No. 1 in primary care and includes a medical center ranked among the 15 best in the country. The dean oversees a medical school, two hospitals, a string of clinics and the university’s group medical practice.

University President Richard McCormick said he would consult with top medical school officials before going to work on finding a replacement but probably would make it a national search.

“It’s indisputably one of the most important positions at the UW,” McCormick said. “Fialkow fulfilled it brilliantly in his six years. It will be very difficult to replace him.”