UC Davis Health System has appointed its current chief financial officer, William McGowan, as the new acting chief executive officer of UC Davis Medical Center.

McGowan assumed his acting CEO role April 1, when Robert Chason retired from the post. Last September, Chason announced his plan to retire following 27 years of service at UC Davis, including 12 years with UC Davis Health System. A nationwide search is under way for a permanent replacement.

"We're fortunate to have Bill's expertise and leadership to guide the medical center through this transitional period," said Claire Pomeroy, vice chancellor at UC Davis and dean of the School of Medicine. "His understanding of our organization and the financial environment within which we operate will be critical over the next several months as we establish our budget and set our priorities for the year ahead."

McGowan joined UC Davis Health System in 1995 as assistant director of hospital and clinics. He has held the chief financial officer position since July 2000. He will continue as CFO during his appointment as acting CEO and return to that position full time after a permanent CEO is appointed.

As CFO, McGowan is responsible for an annual $1.1 billion operating budget for the medical school and medical center. During McGowan's tenure at UC Davis, the health system has achieved consistent gains in overall financial performance and a stable bottom line.

"This organization has achieved national recognition for many of its excellent programs, and I'm proud to be associated with each and every person here who contributes to that excellence," said McGowan. "Looking to the future, our challenge will be to find the balance required to maintain excellence in all areas of our mission, including clinical care, teaching, discovery and community engagement."

Before joining UC Davis, McGowan was regional vice president for Mercy Healthcare Sacramento, a multihospital organization. Prior to that, he was chief financial officer at Mercy San Juan Hospital in Sacramento, and vice president for administration and finance at Mercy General Hospital in Sacramento. Previously, McGowan served as chief financial officer for Monterey County's Natividad Medical Center.

As acting CEO, McGowan will be responsible for overseeing the academic medical center, including the operation of the hospital and its network of clinics. The medical center, an acute-care teaching hospital licensed at 577 beds, operates under an annual budget of about $900 million.

The hospital has 33,000 admissions annually, while the clinics have 900,000 outpatient visits annually. Nearly 47,000 patients are treated annually in its emergency department, the largest and busiest in the region. The medical center employs more than 6,400 people.

Under Chason's leadership, UC Davis Medical Center has earned recognition for its strong financial performance and proactive approach to the challenges faced by academic medical centers across the nation. Consistently ranked as one of the nation's best hospitals, UC Davis has established itself as a national leader in telemedicine, rural medicine, trauma and emergency medicine, primary care, cancer and other specialties.