SALT LAKE CITY鈥擬onica L. Vetter, Ph.D., a 15-year faculty member and professor of neurobiology and anatomy, has been named chair of the Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy at the University of Utah School of Medicine.
The appointment, pending approval by the University of Utah board of trustees, was announced by Lorris Betz, M.D., Ph.D., senior vice president for health sciences and executive dean of the medical school. Vetter had been acting chair of the neurobiology and anatomy department since January 2008, when Thomas N. Parks, Ph.D., stepped down as chair to acccept the post of University Vice President for Research.
Vetter鈥檚 appointment followed a national search, according to Betz.
鈥淎s it turns out, the most qualified candidate was already at the University,鈥 Betz said.
鈥淒r. Vetter is uniquely qualified to lead the Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy and I am confident she will do an outstanding job.鈥
Vetter focuses her research on cell fate in the retina and the underlying mechanisms of glaucoma, an eye disease that can cause blindness when untreated. She has published numerous studies in peer-reviewed journals and is the principal investigator on three current grants from the National Institutes of Health and the Glaucoma Research Foundation.
She has been a guest speaker at numerous symposia and professional meetings and also holds editorial roles at several professional journals. At the University, Vetter served in the Academic Senate and as director of graduate studies for the neurobiology and anatomy department, among many other roles.
In June 2009, Vetter was selected as one of 53 ELAM Fellows for 2009-2010. The yearlong fellowship, part of the Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine庐 (ELAM) Program for Women at Drexel University College of Medicine, prepares senior faculty at medical, dental, and public health schools to assume leadership roles at academic medical centers.