ANN ARBOR—Two key medical leadership positions will be filled at the University of Michigan, pending approval by the Board of Regents at its July meeting. Dr. A. Lorris Betz, executive associate dean of the U-M Medical School, will be named interim dean of the School, and Larry Warren, currently senior associate hospital director and chief operating officer of the U-M Health System, will be named interim executive director of U-M Hospitals.

The appointments were announced today (July 15) by Homer A. Neal, interim president; J. Bernard Machen, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs; and Farris W. Womack, executive vice president and chief financial officer. The appointments are subject to approval by the Board of Regents, which meets Thursday and Friday (July 18-19).

Betz follows Dr. Giles G. Bole, who is stepping down Aug. 1 after six years as dean.

Warren, who has been the hospital system’s chief operating officer since 1994, follows John D. Forsyth, who resigned last month to accept a position as president and chief executive officer of IASD Health Services Corp., a health service firm based in Des Moines, Iowa.

“I am very pleased that Lorris Betz and Larry Warren have accepted these interim assignments on behalf of the University,” said Neal. “Each of them has held senior leadership positions at Michigan, playing major roles in the administration of the Medical Center and the Medical School. “We can count on them to bring energy, enthusiasm and commitment to their new positions during the months ahead.”

Betz, who is the Crosby-Kahn Professor of Neurosurgery and professor of neuroanatomy in the departments of Pediatrics, Surgery and Neurology, has been executive associate dean since 1995. He has served as senior associate dean for academic affairs (1994-95) and associate dean for faculty affairs (1993- 94).

“Lorris Betz is not only a respected member of the Medical School faculty, but he is experienced as a strong administrator. We are fortunate that he has agreed to serve in an interim role for the University as dean, and I look forward to working even more closely with him,” Machen said. “He has been involved in all aspects of the administration of the Medical School and I am confident that he will help us continue our leadership role as one of the top schools in the country.”

Betz earned his bachelor’s, medical and doctoral degrees from the University of Wisconsin. He completed his pediatric residency and a research fellowship in pediatric neurology at the University of California at San Francisco. Betz joined the U-M Medical School faculty as an assistant professor in 1979. He was named full professor in the departments of Pediatrics, Surgery and Neurology in 1987. Betz began his administrative career in 1985 as director of the Office of Research Programs. He has been associate chair for research in the Department of Pediatrics and currently is director of the Crosby Neurological Laboratories in the Department of Surgery. A search for a permanent dean of the Medical School has been ongoing for several months.

Warren has worked in hospital administration for 23 years. As senior associate hospital director and chief operating officer since 1994, he has been responsible for an operating budget of responsible for the operation of all the major ancillary, diagnostic and treatment services.

“I have had the pleasure of working with Larry Warren very closely for almost a decade and have the utmost respect for his skills as an administrator,” Womack said. “I have admired his appreciation for teamwork and consensus- building.”

Warren began his career at U-M Hospitals in 1973 and has served as a personnel representative and compensation analyst administrator (1979-82). In 1982, Warren joined Mercy Hospital of Detroit as vice president for human resource services. From 1985-86, he was Mercy Hospital’s executive vice president and chief operating officer. He rejoined the U-M in 1986 as associate hospital director and administrator.

Warren earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in education administration, both from Eastern Michigan University. “Larry truly understands all of the complexities of the Medical Center and I know that he will bring tremendous creativity to the position of interim director,” Womack said. A national search will be conducted for a permanent successor to John Forsyth, according to Womack.