Dr. Simari to step down from leadership role

Colleagues,

I am writing to share that a member of our executive team will be stepping down from his leadership role.

Dr. Robert Simari, executive vice chancellor for KU Medical Center, will be retiring from the University of Kansas on June 30, 2024. Dr. Simari’s retirement will be a loss for the university, which is a testament to his leadership as executive vice chancellor.

To facilitate the leadership transition, Dr. Simari will step down from the executive vice chancellor role immediately but will continue in his faculty role as the Franklin E. Murphy Professor of Cardiology until his retirement date. Dr. Matthias Salathe, vice chancellor for research at KU Medical Center, will serve as interim executive vice chancellor.

An alumnus of the KU School of Medicine, Dr. Simari has had a distinguished record of service to KU, serving as executive dean of the School of Medicine from March 24, 2014, to August 18, 2019, and as executive vice chancellor of the KU Medical Center since January 1, 2018, after serving as interim executive vice chancellor for six months.

He has led KU Medical Center during a transformational period, which included the hiring of deans of the schools of Medicine and Nursing, helping the KU Cancer Center earn comprehensive designation from the National Cancer Institute, leading a commitment to build a valued and respected workforce, and helping grow our research infrastructure in such a way as to enhance our status of one of the nation’s top research institutions. His service to the medical center community is greatly appreciated.

Please join me in thanking Dr. Simari for his dedicated administrative service and significant contributions to the medical center and the University of Kansas.

Respectfully,

Doug

Douglas A. Girod
Chancellor