Dartmouth Provost Santiago Schnell announced the appointment of Steve Leach, MD, Director of the Dartmouth Cancer Center and the Preston T. and Virginia R. Kelsey Distinguished Chair in Cancer, as interim dean of the Geisel School of Medicine, effective Sept. 15, following the conclusion of Dean Duane Compton’s extended term.
“Since 2017, Dr. Leach has led the Dartmouth Cancer Center with distinction—expanding clinical services, strengthening research initiatives, and deepening community engagement,” said Schnell. “His longstanding dedication to Geisel and to collaborative partnerships with Dartmouth Health will provide vital continuity as we advance our search for Geisel’s next permanent dean.”
The Search Advisory Committee, co-chaired by Charles Barlowe, PhD, professor of biochemistry and cell biology, and Barbara Jobst, MD, chair and professor of neurology, will continue its work to identify a leader who will continue to strengthen Geisel and its research and education missions.
“I want to express my sincere gratitude to Dean Compton for his steadfast leadership and dedicated service to Geisel,” said Schnell. “His extended tenure has further strengthened the school’s foundation and advanced its mission in education, research, and clinical care.”
Concurrent with Leach’s new appointment, leadership of the Dartmouth Cancer Center will transition to Konstantin Dragnev, MD, professor of medicine and the Irene Heinz Given Professor in Pharmacology at Geisel and Dartmouth Health.
A practicing oncologist and translational scientist focused on lung cancer, Dragnev currently serves as associate director for Clinical Research and co-director of the Cancer Signaling, Genomes and Networks Research Program. He will serve as interim director of the Cancer Center while Dartmouth and Dartmouth Health also conduct a national search for candidates to lead that clinical and academic unit.
“I am honored to continue serving Dartmouth and Geisel as interim dean,” said Leach. “It will be a tremendous privilege to support our Geisel community in this capacity. I am committed to maintaining the momentum and excellence that define our school and continuing to strengthen the bonds between Geisel, Dartmouth, and Dartmouth Health in a manner that elevates all.”
