Contact: Mary Margaret Colliver

June 12, 2003 (Lexington, Ky.) -- University of Kentucky President Lee T. Todd, Jr. recently named Alfred Cohen, M.D., acting Executive Vice President for Health Affairs (EVPHA) at the University of Kentucky. Cohen, director and CEO of UK Markey Cancer Center, and professor of surgery in the UK College of Medicine, will serve while the search for a permanent EVPHA continues.

The EVPHA is responsible for clinical and administrative leadership of the clinical enterprise at the UK Chandler Medical Center, including UK Hospital, UK Children’s Hospital, Kentucky Clinics, and associated health programs. The EVPHA and the Provost exercise joint oversight of clinical activities in the colleges of Dentistry, Nursing, Pharmacy and Health Sciences.

“The ultimate goal, which I am confident we will attain, is for UK's clinical enterprise to continue to improve and become even more competitive, and for all of the academic programs to enhance their quality and achievements,” Todd said.

“This is an important step in establishing a more cohesive partnership amongst all components of the UK healthcare system,” Cohen said.

James W. Holsinger Jr., M.D., Ph.D., senior vice president and chancellor of the medical center, will be working closely with Cohen in the interim to facilitate a seamless transition to the new organizational structure.

Cohen currently serves a number of leadership roles in several national organizations. He is chair of the Commission on Cancer as well as the Colorectal section of the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group. Cohen also serves on the National Quality Forum Cancer Steering Committee, Scientific Advisory Board, Yale University Cancer Center, and the American Joint Commission on Cancer. Cohen currently is leading a national coordinated program of the American College of Surgeons, the Foundation for Advanced Medical Education, and the Association for Surgical Education to optimize the operative treatment of patients with rectal cancer. Earlier this year, Cohen was elected president of the Society of Surgical Oncology.