Robert Chason, chief executive officer of UC Davis Medical Center, announced Tuesday his plan to retire April 1, 2006, after 25 years of service at UC Davis. A nationwide search for his successor will be launched immediately, with the expectation of filling the position by April.

Chason, 62, has served as medical center CEO since February 2002, and before that, he had been chief operating officer since 1994. He oversees UC Davis Medical Center's 530-bed, acute-care hospital and its affiliated outpatient centers, including a primary care network of physician practices in 10 Northern California communities. With an operating budget of $816 million annually, patient visits numbering more than 900,000 annually, and more than 6,300 employees, the medical center is a major contributor to the region's health and economic well-being.

Chason, in a letter to faculty and staff announcing his retirement, wrote that he made his decision after "considerable thought and personal reflection" and that the medical center has a "top-notch" leadership team.

"As difficult as it is for me to leave,

he said, "I know this is the right time. This institution is in excellent hands."

UC Davis Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef noted that Chason "guided the medical center through some challenging times, and through it all, he steered a course that befits UC Davis Health System's role as an indispensable resource for the region."

The chancellor said that Chason was in the unique position of having occupied leadership posts at both the general campus in Davis and at the health system.

"As a leader in the Office of Student Affairs, Bob established a comfortable rapport with our students and earned their trust and respect with his open, supportive approach."

Search begins for successor

The search for Chason's successor is already underway. "Our first step is to appoint a search committee broadly representative of the health system community," said Claire Pomeroy, vice chancellor for human health sciences and dean of the School of Medicine. "Because the health system plays such an important public-service role in the region, it is especially important to include community leadership in the search process," she said, noting that faculty, staff and community members will serve on the committee.

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 telehealth, rural medicine, trauma and emergency medicine, primary care, cancer and other specialties.

UC Davis is the leading specialty-care provider for a 33-county region of Northern California, offering a full range of patient care, teaching and research programs, and community service initiatives.

"UC Davis Medical Center has definitely prospered under Bob's leadership," said Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw. "His vision, passion and focus on taking a regional approach to health care, on using the latest technology for training and patient care, and on developing strong partnerships to solve the challenges that face hospitals and physicians throughout Northern California have transformed the practice and delivery of medicine."

Hinshaw added, "Working with Bob is both a personal and professional delight — we are all so fortunate that he has served UC Davis for so many years and contributed in so many ways."

Chason strengthened relationships between UC Davis and other hospitals — especially those in rural areas of the state — establishing a consortium of community hospitals and collaborative agreements that bring much-needed specialty services to small communities throughout Northern California.

He spearheaded efforts to establish jointly operated cancer centers with Mercy Hospital in Merced and Rideout Hospital in Marysville, and was instrumental in developing collaborative relationships with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, expanding UC Davis Cancer Center's basic science research program.

During Chason's tenure, the cancer center achieved designation from the National Cancer Institute, one of only 60 cancer centers in the nation to have earned that honor.

Chason also oversaw an expansion of UC Davis' top-ranked telemedicine program and helped establish the Center for Health and Technology to explore new approaches to distance medicine and distance learning. Under his leadership, the medical center established a sophisticated Center for Virtual Care.

Said Pomeroy, "His support for our academic mission, while attending to the operational management of our clinical enterprise and financial performance, has been a key factor in our success."

When Chason assumed the role of chief operating officer in 1994, the med center had just embarked on an ambitious period of facilities construction to meet state seismic safety standards and to meet growing research, teaching and patient care needs.