Dr. Scott Oakes, a renowned researcher and educator in the field of pathology, has been appointed as the Vice Dean for Clinical Science Research in the Biological Sciences Division and the Pritzker School of Medicine. In this new leadership position, he will be responsible for implementing the research strategic plan focusing on clinical science within the broader research mission of BSD/PSOM.
As Vice Dean for Clinical Science Research, Dr. Oakes will work closely with Dr. Conrad Gilliam, PhD, Vice Dean for Basic Science Research, to shape the division’s strategic research plans. He will report directly to Mark Anderson, MD, PhD, Dean of BSD and PSOM, as well as Iris Romero, MD, Executive Vice Dean for BSD.
Dr. Oakes is a Professor and Vice Chair of Research and Academic Affairs in the Department of Pathology at the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center. He is also a Co-Leader of the Molecular Mechanisms of Cancer Program at UCMC. His research lab focuses on understanding how mammalian cells respond to different types of damage and how these processes are impacted in diseases like cancer. As Vice Chair of Research for the Department of Pathology, Dr. Oakes provides guidance to research faculty in the department, supervises pre- and post-award administrators, oversees recruitment of new research faculty members (having successfully hired four new BSD track faculty in the last four years), and manages physician-scientist development programs in his department.
Prior to joining UCMC in 2019, Dr. Oakes spent 14 years on faculty at UCSF where he obtained his undergraduate degree in biochemistry from Elmira College and his medical degree from the University of Connecticut. He completed his residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and a postdoctoral fellowship at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute before joining UCMC’s faculty team.
In this new role as Vice Dean for Clinical Science Research, Dr. Oakes will play an instrumental role in shaping the future direction of clinical science within BSD/PSOM by fostering collaboration across all research entities within these institutions.
