UHS to search for new executive director

After the June departure of its director of nearly a decade, University Health Services is seeking a new executive director and university chief health officer.

According to a UW-Madison press release, a 15-person committee comprised of both staff and students and chaired by School of Nursing Dean Linda Scott will conduct the search with assistance from a search firm that assists with recruitment for leadership positions. Finalists will then be recommended to Vice Provost of Finance and Administration Laurent Heller.

The new candidate will replace previous UHS executive director Sarah Van Orman. Van Orman left UW-Madison in June for the University of Southern California, where she currently serves as associate vice provost for students affairs and chief student health officer.

UHS associate directors Arnold Jennerman and Bill Kinsey have been serving as executive director and chief health officer, respectively, since Van Orman’s departure as the organization searches for a replacement.

“This position is crucial to the university’s success,” Heller said in the press release. “University Health Services plays a major role in ensuring the health and safety of our campus community and has consistently been ranked as one of the best college health services in the country.”

Heller added that ideal candidates will have “strong backgrounds in leading comprehensive health organizations and leadership experience in student health, public health or clinical settings.”

According to the press release, the new director and chief health officer will be tasked with providing “leadership and strategic vision” for not only UHS, but also the wider university community by overseeing programs and initiatives intended to “protect and promote the health of members of the university community.”

Applications for the position are due Nov. 30. The selected candidate is projected to start in the beginning of the spring semester.