News and Finance

The University of California, San Francisco, formally announced two senior appointments Thursday, of Jeffrey Bluestone as executive vice chancellor, provost and chief academic officer, and Elazar Harel as vice chancellor for information technology and CIO.

Bluestone, who’d been the interim vice chancellor of research since July 2008, starts in the new role immediately; Harel on April 12, officials said.

The San Francisco Business Times first reported Bluestone’s apppointment in late February, but both his and Harel’s appointments were formally approved by the University of California Board of Regents at their meeting Thursday at UCSF’s Mission Bay campus.

Bluestone will oversee all academic and research enterprises of the life sciences university, guiding UCSF’s research and academic functions, and working in close collaboration with Chancellor Susan Desmond-Hellmann, UCSF said.

Bluestone and Harel both hold Ph.D. degrees; Harel also has a law degree.

In his new position, Harel will oversee both the academic and administrative IT activities for the campus. The CIO of the UCSF Medical Center will have a dotted-line reporting relationship to Harel, UCSF said, “reflecting the coordination leadership Harel will provide for UCSF IT policies and infrastructure.”

The university has faced nagging delays and budgeting snafus connected with implementation of an electronic medical record system and other IT installations in recent years.

Harel’s broad scope of responsibilities “is unique within the UC system and represents a bold new vision for addressing the opportunities and challenges of information technology," said Bluestone, who will oversee Harel along with Senior Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration John Plotts.

The new IT job replaces a previous shared arrangement “in which two individuals at the associate vice chancellor level jointly filled the academic and administrative CIO roles,” the university said no fax cash advances.

Harel joins UCSF from UC San Diego, where he was responsible for campus-wide information technology services as assistant vice chancellor for computing and telecommunications. His base salary of $310,800 will be augmented by standard pension and health and welfare benefits for senior leadership, UCSF said, as well as reimbursement of reasonable moving expenses.

“Dr. Bluestone has a clear track record of success, both as one of the world’s leading experts on diabetes and immune tolerance, and in leadership of our research enterprise,” Desmond-Hellmann said in the March 25 statement.

UCSF noted that Bluestone is the fourth new executive to be tapped for the leadership team by Desmond-Hellmann, who became chancellor in August 2009. Since then, she has named Sam Hawgood as dean of the medical school; Carol Moss as vice chancellor for development and alumni relations; Plotts as chief business officer, and now Harel as chief information officer.

Bluestone has led UCSF’s efforts to win funds through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, making it one of the nation’s top recipients of science-based stimulus funds, with 276 awards and $129.5 million in funding to date, UCSF said.

As UCSF executive vice chancellor and provost, Bluestone reports directly to Desmond-Hellmann, and is entitled to a base salary of $385,300, along with a health sciences compensation plan component of $52,300 and an executive automobile allowance of $8,916, for total compensation of $446,516.

He also is eligible for standard senior leadership pension and health and welfare benefits, the university stated.

Source