By MATT ERICKSON, The Lawrence Journal-World

Internal candidate Douglas Girod will take over the top job at the Kansas University Medical Center, KU announced Wednesday.

Girod currently the senior associate dean for clinical affairs at the KU School of Medicine, will become the Medical Centers new executive vice chancellor on Feb. 1.

A surgeon, Girod joined the faculty at KUMC in 1994. He is also the chairman of the medical schools Department of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery.

One of Girods first tasks after stepping in as the new KUMC leader is likely to be to begin a search for a dean of the School of Medicine.

Barbara Atkinson, who retired in June, had served as both medical-school dean and the executive vice chancellor for the campus. But KU Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little indicated a desire to split the jobs, and a search for a dean had already begun when Atkinson announced in April she would be leaving KU earlier than expected.

That search morphed into an effort to hire a new executive vice chancellor instead.

Girod and two external candidates medical leaders at the University of Washington and Louisiana State University were announced as finalists for the job in November.

The three finalists were selected by a search committee and took part in town hall meetings on the KUMC campus. After that, the hiring decision was in Gray-Littles hands.

Dr. Girod has been a steadfast leader during a time of profound transformation at the University of Kansas Medical Center, playing crucial roles over the last several years as we saw dynamic growth in all of our educational, clinical, research and community engagement missions, Gray-Little said in a release. He is enormously respected by his colleagues, his students, his fellow physicians and our community, and his vision will undoubtedly lead to more significant transformation in the years ahead.

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Internal candidate named new executive vice chancellor at KU Medical Center