After a nationwide search, Dean Carmen A. Puliafito has appointed Michael E. Selsted as Chair of the Department of Pathology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, effective February 1, 2009. Selsted comes to USC from the University of California, Irvine, where he is professor and chair of the department and holds the Warren L. Bostick Endowed Chair in Pathology.

“Dr. Selsted is ideally suited to lead the Department of Pathology,” said Puliafito. “He is actively involved in teaching, research, patient care, and administration, and he has an appreciation for the important role of each area of our academic mission.”

Selsted has been a professor of pathology at UCI since 1989. He has held the Warren Bostick Endowed Chair since 2000. Prior to his service at UCI, he was professor in the division of hematology-oncology at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine.

Dr. Selsted has identified several priorities for the Department of Pathology, including: strengthening the department’s diagnostic infrastructure to meet the growing needs of the academic medical center and increased patient volumes; recruiting new clinical and research faculty to bring new clinical services online and build on the portfolio of research programs within the department; creating new opportunities for collaboration with other departments; and developing new resources to support the residency and fellowship training programs.

“I have been greatly impressed by the academic ascent of USC over the last decade and this is reflected by great achievement on the University Park Campus and at the Keck School of Medicine,” said Selsted. “The students and faculty are outstanding, and this is precisely the environment where any serious academic would want to do their work.”

Selsted’s research has focused on defensins, antimicrobial peptides produced by the body that provide a first line of defense against potentially invasive pathogens. He has published more than 130 scholarly articles and has been lauded with numerous academic honors, including a National Institutes of Health MERIT (Method to Extend Research in Time) award, which recognizes researchers who have demonstrated superior competence and outstanding productivity in research endeavors. The award provides long-term support to investigators with impressive records of scientific achievement in research areas of special importance or promise. Fewer than 5 percent of NIH-funded investigators are selected to receive MERIT Awards.

He has also been honored by election to the American Society of Clinical Investigation and the Association of American Physicians. In 2008 he was the first recipient of the UCI Chair Award for Excellence in Medical Student Education.

Selsted’s research discoveries have resulted in more than 20 U.S. patents, and he has co-founded three biomedical startup companies. In recognition of his accomplishments in university-industry partnering, he was an inaugural recipient of the UCI Innovation Award. Selsted also built a highly successful outreach laboratory business at UCI, a partnership between the Department of Pathology and the UCI Medical Center.

“Dr. Selsted’s commitment to entrepreneurship and excellence will be a catalyst for the advancement of our Department of Pathology, particularly during this time of transformation into a new academic medical center environment,” said Puliafito.

During Selsted’s nine-year tenure as chair of the Department of Pathology at UC Irvine, total and NIH research funding increased more than four fold, with 2007 NIH funding at $6.6 million. Beyond the department of pathology, Selsted served as associate vice chancellor for research at UCI from 1993 to 1995.

“I’ll be joining a department composed of truly outstanding faculty,” said Selsted. “I can think of nothing more enjoyable than contributing to the next phase of its mission.”

Selsted succeeds Clive Taylor, who has served as chair of the Department of Pathology for the last 25 years.