To the University Community:

Over the last several months I have evaluated the leadership structure of UConn Health and sought input from key stakeholders, including senior leaders, faculty, staff, members of the Board of Trustees and the UConn Health Board of Directors. An important point of consensus among nearly every person I spoke with or who provided input to my office was that combining the roles of the medical school dean and CEO/EVP would pose significant challenges and limitations. When we consider the complexities of managing a health care system with the concurrent goal of significantly growing the academic, clinical, and research missions of our Schools of Medicine and Dental Medicine, it became clear to me that having clearly delineated and dedicated leadership is critical. Thus, after a period of careful consideration and consultation, I have decided that UConn Health is best served by keeping the roles of CEO and dean of the School of Medicine as two separate positions. This leadership structure, which was in place under Dr. Andy Agwunobi, allowed the dean to focus their full attention on the school, and gave the CEO/EVP the ability to focus on the full scope of the health center’s operations.

I want to thank Dr. Bruce Liang for his leadership as dean and as interim CEO. During a period that saw multiple changes in leadership at UConn and UConn Health as well as uncertainty in our budgets, Bruce has provided essential steadiness and continuity for the leadership team, as well as all our faculty, staff, students, and patients at UConn Health. His long experience at UConn Health and deep institutional knowledge have been invaluable. I would also like to thank Bruce for his exceptional and tireless efforts during the state appropriations process when he met with numerous legislators and ensured that they understood the impact and importance of UConn Health as an academic medical center with public health and public service missions. We are, as always, very grateful to Bruce for his dedication and commitment.

We will begin a national search for a CEO in the coming weeks. Additional details regarding the search process and search committee will be forthcoming. Dr. Liang will continue serving as dean and interim CEO while the search is underway.

Sincerely,
Radenka Maric
UConn President