HUNTINGTON -- There is no hiding the fact that Marshall University's medical school is on probation with the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, and no one tried to sweep it aside Tuesday afternoon when Dr. Joseph I. Shapiro was announced as the fifth dean of the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine.

In fact, Shapiro said he sees it as an exciting opportunity that mirrors what happened in the College of Medicine at the University of Toledo, where has been for the past 15 years.

"This happened about eight years ago at Toledo," said Shapiro, speaking of the school's flirtation with probation.

Then, he said, Dr. Jeffrey Gold came in as the new dean of the medical school and turned things around. Gold, who now serves as Toledo's provost, executive vice president and dean of the medical school, also is the co-chairman of the LCME board.

"I'll have him on speed dial," Shapiro said.

Shapiro, who was given his Marshall medical school white coat with embroidered name and all during his introduction, has been a practicing physician for 32 years, board-certified in nephrology and internal medicine.

One of his missions will be dealing with long-term LMCE accreditation. The medical school was placed on probation last year, but has been working to resolve the issues cited by the accrediting body.

Shapiro also said he wants to see faculty taking on more research opportunities.

"I hope to build on a great tradition in rural medicine," Shapiro said.

He also said he planned to instill "more of a research culture."

Shapiro will start in a full-time role July 1, after wrapping up his 13-year tenure as the chairman of the Department of Medicine at Toledo. He also has served as associate dean for Business Development since 2006 and was named the chairman of the University of Toledo Physicians LLC in 2011.

Shapiro said he's ready for the responsibility of leading a medical school. But he added that the grandeur of Tuesday's introduction to 292 medical students and some 800 faculty, staff and medical residents was immense.

"I'm ready for it, but the magnitude of this moment is not lost on me," he said.

The search for a new dean started last summer after Dr. Charles H. McKown Jr., who had served as the school's dean for more than 22 years, stepped down. He now serves as Marshall's vice president for Health Sciences Advancement.

Dr. Robert Nerhood, who has been serving as interim dean since June 2011, said the process to find a permanent dean was exhaustive. The search committee received some 800 inquiries that were reduced to 76 viable candidates. From them, 26 were considered by the search committee, and eight were interviewed off site. Four finalists were brought to campus to visit the med school and take part in a more thorough interview.

"Within the first 10 minutes, there was no question in my mind who the next dean should be," said Nerhood, who retired in 2010 as the medical school's senior associate dean for clinical affairs and chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. "Fortunately, the search committee and (Marshall) president (Stephen Kopp) agreed with me."

Kopp said he had met with medical school students, faculty, staff and community members about the qualifications and qualities they wanted in the new dean. He said an amazingly consistent commentary came into focus with several characteristics that were of utmost importance. Among them, Kopp said, were an understanding and commitment to Marshall's School of Medicine and the state of West Virginia; a vision to look ahead and face the varying degree of health care challenges facing the med school and the state's aging and rural population; a medical doctor who was committed to maintaining a part-time clinical practice; someone with a strong research background; and someone who would set the bar high.

"The new dean faces many challenges as we go ahead," Kopp said. "But he's excited about those challenges."

The students and staff also are excited about the direction of the medical school under Shapiro.

"I think he's going to bring what we need," said first-year student Aaron Dom. "A breath of fresh air."

Before being introduced publicly, Shapiro wanted to take time to meet both students and employees. He first met with more than 200 students Tuesday morning to let them know they are his priority. Dom and others were impressed.

"He's reaching out to students first," Dom said. "It's great he is making students a priority."

Dom said Shapiro told them he wants to meet regularly for student dinners to gauge their opinions on a variety of matters. Shapiro later said that training medical students to become doctors is the core of why the school was founded.

"I want to know their needs, desires and aspirations," he said. "There's three or four generations between them and me. And it's really important that my generation and the faculty do our best to learn what is important to this generation of students."

Aaron McGuffin, the medical school's senior associate dean, said there is a consensus of approval among staff and faculty in Shapiro's appointment. He said it is clear Shapiro understands that primary care and graduating well-trained physicians are among the school's primary goals.

"He's an outstanding individual," said McKown, who attended the introduction at the Erma Ora Byrd Clinic. "We're fortunate and proud to have him come here."

Marshall's new medical school dean Dr. Joseph I. Shapiro

Has been at the University of Toledo College of Medicine for 15 years, spending the past 13 years as the chairman of the Department of Medicine. He also has served as the associate dean for Business Development since 2006 and chairman of the University of Toledo Physicians LLC since 2011.

Shapiro has been a practicing physician in the areas of nephrology and internal medicine for more 32 years.

Graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1976 with a bachelor's degree in mathematics; earned his medical degree from the University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey in 1980; completed a three-year residency in internal medicine at Georgetown University in 1983; and completed a four-year fellowship in renal diseases at the University of Colorado in 1987.

Shapiro has served as principal investigator or co-investigator on nearly three dozen grant-funded projects totaling more than $30 million and has been involved with the creation of three spin-off companies from that research. He also holds patents on 14 medical inventions.

Has authored or co-authored more than 100 original research articles, many of them focusing on his chosen specialty, nephrology, more commonly known as the branch of medical science dealing with the kidneys.

Serves as the associate editor for the Journal of the American Heart Association and is on the editorial boards of 13 other journals. He is a member of the American Society of Nephrology, International Society of Nephrology, American College of Physicians, Association of Professors of Medicine and Association of Program Directors in Internal Medicine. He also is active in the American Heart Association and served as vice chairman of the association's Kidney in Cardiovascular Disease Council from 2007 to 2008.

Was recognized with the Arnold P. Gold -- Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey Humanism in Medicine Award in 2002, and the Mercy Health Partners -- Northern Region Endowed Chair of Excellence in Internal Medicine Education in 2003.

Was named on both America's Top Doctors and America's Best Doctors in 2009.

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