Dear Colleagues:
David Birnbach, executive vice provost for faculty affairs and professor at the Miller School of Medicine, informed me that he plans to retire from the University at the end of the academic year after 18 years of dedicated service. To ensure the seamless transition of this important role, Guillermo (Willy) Prado will serve in a dual capacity as dean of the graduate school and vice provost for faculty affairs, effective June 1.
David has been with the University since 2002. During this time he has had an indelible impact on the institution—from medical education and research, to patient safety and faculty engagement, David has positively and significantly influenced the student, faculty, and patient experience.
Specifically, he has demonstrated outstanding leadership in both patient safety research and education through his efforts to improve communication and team training at UHealth and Jackson Memorial Hospital. With the help of his colleagues at the medical and nursing schools, David developed an interdisciplinary patient safety course that has been expanded and has been adopted by numerous other institutions around the world. For his pioneering patient safety work, David was named by Becker’s Hospital Review as one of the 50 experts leading the field of Patient Safety.
Through his work, he has ensured that patient safety is a universal priority across the academic health care system by tightly linking patient safety to better outcomes, the best patient experience, and well-rounded medical training for students and residents
Additionally, David is a recognized scholar and is the editor of two textbooks that have been translated into several languages, has published more than 150 peer reviewed articles, and he has been an editorial board member of four journals. He has lectured throughout the world, served as a consultant to the National Institutes of Health, and has been a long serving chair of a Federal Drug Administration (FDA) panel. He has also served as president of the Society of Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology as well as a member of the executive board of the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation.
In addition to all his other activities, David has continued to have an active role in teaching residents and medical students at UM and Jackson Memorial Hospital.
As executive vice provost, David has overseen the promotion and tenure process, faculty mentoring programs, faculty diversity, and faculty development and recognition, including the McLamore Awards for Summer Research and the Provost’s Award for Scholarly Activity. Nearly 50 percent of the faculty here have experienced his steady leadership, sage advice, and guidance on the progression of their academic careers.
Please join me in recognizing David’s impact and service at the University and in congratulating Willy on his new role. | 
