Wesson named vice dean of Texas A&M Health Science Center Temple campus

(TEMPLE, TX) — Donald E. Wesson, M.D., F.A.C.P., was recently named the new vice dean for the Temple campus of the Texas A&M Health Science Center.

Due to arrive Jan. 15, 2007, Dr. Wesson also will serve as chief academic officer for Scott & White and special assistant to the chief of staff for the Central Texas Veterans Health Care System.

For seven years, Dr. Wesson has been chairman of the Department of Internal Medicine at the Texas Tech University Health Science Center College of Medicine. He also was chief for its combined program in nephrology and renal physiology from 1994 to 2005.

The Temple position is appealing for many reasons, Dr. Wesson said, including the opportunity to grow partnerships among the HSC-College of Medicine, Scott & White and the CTVHCS.

“This is a powerful combination,” Dr. Wesson said. “I see the chance for innovation with education, research and the organization of the academic clinical practice. I look forward to taking part in helping to design a system I anticipate will be a model for others to follow.”

Christopher C. Colenda, M.D., M.P.H., Jean and Thomas McMullin Dean of the HSC-COM, is honored Dr. Wesson has agreed to join the team.

“He brings a wealth of experience, integrity and wisdom to the table, and we are eagerly anticipating his arrival,” Dr. Colenda said. “I am confident in Dr. Wesson’s ability to provide exceptional leadership on our Temple campus as we continue to expand our educational programs at Scott & White and the VA.”

Earlier this year, Texas A&M System regents approved an increase to the medical school class size and a move to create four-year campuses in both Temple and College Station, which currently each provide two years of the program.

“The campus expansion is an extraordinary opportunity for all of Central Texas,” said Alfred Knight, M.D., president and CEO of Scott & White. “Dr. Wesson brings unique skills to the job of aligning the efforts of the College of Medicine, the Central Texas VA Health Services and Scott & White to bring about an education and research transformation. We are both honored and delighted he has agreed to take on this challenge.”

Bruce A. Gordon, director of the CTVHCS, said the new expertise will enhance the affiliation among the three entities.

“Dr. Wesson’s experience and extensive knowledge of how our partnership comes together should immediately assist us in developing patient care, academic and research interests that will allow us to provide the highest level of care to our veterans,” Mr. Gordon said.

Dr. Wesson was educated at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and attended medical school at the Washington University School of Medicine and the Baylor College of Medicine at Houston. He completed his internal medicine residency at Baylor College of Medicine and his nephrology fellowship at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He has held several faculty positions at Baylor College of Medicine.

Dr. Wesson is a leader in many national organizations of academic medicine. He is chair-elect of the board of directors for the American Board of Internal Medicine, president of the Southern Society for Clinical Investigation, on the board of directors for the Association of Professors of Medicine, president of the West Texas affiliate of the National Kidney Foundation and on the Public Policy Board of the American Society of Nephrology. He and his wife, Wanda, have two grown sons – David and Donald.