Dean of medicine becomes U of T president
Brad Mackay
CMAJ October 25, 2005 173 (9) 1021; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.051170
After 6 years as the University of Toronto's dean of medicine, David Naylor has landed one of the most prestigious academic jobs in the country, with his appointment as 15th president of the University of Toronto.
Figure. Naylor: U of T presidency "irresistible." Photo by: University of Toronto
Professional challenges are not new to Naylor, the Rhodes scholar from Woodstock, Ont., whose track record, at 51, includes co-founding Ontario's Cardiac Care Network, a widely-emulated system to manage cardiac care services, and leading the influential National Advisory Committee on SARSs and Public Health in 2003. He describes his new post at "the country's pre-eminent research university" as a privilege that presented "an irresistible challenge," playing to his strengths as an "inveterate generalist."
"One of the real pleasures of the job will be the chance to interact with an incredible array of disciplines."
A $427 000-salary comes with a similarly hefty responsibility for 28 academic faculties, 67 000 students and a $1-billion annual budget. So far, Naylor has settled on a more conciliatory, hands-on approach than his controversial predecessor, Robert Birgeneau, who took on the job with the stated intention of shaking up the university, and then departed prematurely to become president of the University of California at Berkeley.
Naylor is candid and self-deprecating about his adjustment to the new role, describing his 4-month transition period as "trying to drink water from the proverbial fire hose."
One of his priorities is to enhance the student experience, both in class and out. "We know that a huge amount of the learning people do in university occurs outside the formal, structured classroom setting," he explains. "There are literally scores of clubs and societies that you can join, and that's almost overwhelming for some of our first and second year students."
"With a large commuter population, and 3 geographically diverse campuses we have a challenge and a real opportunity to provide a range of student experiences."
Naylor will also continue to push the Ontario government for increased post-secondary funding to help the province "catch up" with the rest of the country.
As for his future in the medical realm, he's expecting to gradually diminish his remaining research commitments.
"I saw the deanship of medicine as something of a 24/7 role for 6 years and I don't expect this one is going to be any different," he says.
"I'm still co-investigator on a couple of grants, so I'll probably be co-author on a couple of papers. But much of that is very tolerant, younger colleagues taking pity on an old guy," he says. "I am unfortunately in the category of being something of a has-been and a hanger-on."
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CMAJ Oct 2005, 173 (9) 1021; DOI: 10.1503/cmaj.051170
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