They say he was "geographically vulnerable."
Edward Holmes, dean of the School of Medicine, will be leaving the University in mid-September to take a position at the University of California at San Diego, where he will be closer to his wife, Judith Swain, chair of the department of medicine at Stanford.
In a statement to the Board of Trustees, Chancellor for Health Affairs Ralph Snyderman cited the long distance between Holmes and his wife as a key reason for Holmes' departure: "The burden of cross-country travel to be with his wife... came to be more of a burden than originally anticipated."
At the time he was approached by UC-San Diego, Holmes said that he wasn't looking to leave. Although he has been solicited by several universities in the past year, there was no sign that he wouldn't stay until his retirement. Holmes has lived in Durham from 1970 to 1991, completing his residency here, then moving on as a Howard Hughes Investigator and later serving as chief of the clinical ward. After working at both the University of Pennsylvania and Stanford University, Holmes returned to Duke just more than a year ago.
But the allure of new professional horizons-and less time stranded in airports when trying to visit his wife-made the move too tempting, he said.
Beginning this school year, Holmes will be vice chancellor of health affairs and dean of the medical school at UC-San Diego. The position, which is roughly analogous to Snyderman's here, will give Holmes increased responsibility and a segue back into clinical work.
"This poses an opportunity for me, from a career point of view, to assume additional responsibilities in areas I enjoy like clinical and academic," Holmes said.
Holmes is also leaving another responsibility-he has been heavily involved in the University's long-range planning project-but he said his departure should not affect the planning's outcome. He said he is confident that the faculty can continue without him. "Duke was here before Ed Holmes; it will be here after him," he said.
President Nan Keohane reluctantly agreed. "Much of the planning for the school has already been done; the final stages can be carried forward by Chancellor Snyderman and other colleagues," she wrote in an e-mail. "We are truly sorry to lose Dean Holmes, and wish that he were staying longer. He has already had a significant positive impact on the Medical School even in his short tenure here, and will leave things in good shape for his successor."
For the time being, Snyderman will serve as interim dean of the Medical School. A search committee chair has been appointed and the committee will start looking for a successor immediately. Medical Center officials will not release the committee chair's name.
"I am really sorry to be leaving Duke," Holmes said. "Ralph Snyderman has been a mentor for me. I'll miss that tremendously."
Holmes also said he will miss the interaction he enjoyed with fellow administrators. He specifically mentioned his increasing interaction with Kristina Johnson, dean of the engineering school, and promising relations with the researchers at the Nicholas School of the Environment.
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