UTHealth Houston announces new dean, other leadership changes at McGovern Medical School

A new executive dean is taking over at UTHealth Houston’s McGovern Medical School, the university announced Friday. Dr. John F. Hancock, who since 2008 has served as chair of the Department of Integrative Biology and Pharmacology, will become the 10th dean in McGovern’s history, following Dr. Barbara J. Stoll, who stepped down in 2020. He officially begins Sept. 1 in his new role as executive dean and H. Wayne Hightower Distinguished Professor in the Medical Sciences. McGovern is the ninth largest medical school in the United States. Hancock trained at both the University of Cambridge and the University of London, and previously served as deputy director of the Institute for Molecular Bioscience at the University of Queensland and director of the Australian Research Council’s Special Research Center for Functional and Applied Genomics.

Four years after joining the McGovern faculty in 2008, he became vice dean of research and executive director of The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases, which is part of the school. His own research on the function of RAS proteins — which are involved in transmitting signals within cells — has furthered understanding of cancer biology. UTHealth also announced other leadership changes. Dr. LaTanya Love, who joined the faculty in 2005 and has held a number of different administrative positions, will officially become the dean of education after serving in the role for two years on an interim basis. Dr. Carmen Dessauer, a faculty member of nearly 25 years, will become the interim chair for integrative biology and pharmacology. Dr. Richard Andrassy, who served as the interim executive dean, will become senior vice president for clinical and faculty affairs while continuing to serve as the surgery department chair.