Philip O. Alderson, M.D., will join a long line of Saint Louis University deans when he becomes the 12th Dean of SLU’s School of Medicine April 1.

“I was attracted by the SLU commitment to education and service and by the potential for growth in research embodied in the new Doisy Center,” Alderson said. “The SLU faculty and staff that I’ve met seem most enthusiastic. I think they’ll be good partners,” Alderson said.

Alderson was the Director of Radiology service at the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York, and the James Picker Professor and Chairman of the Department of Radiology at the Columbia University Medical Center.

“I believe that the combination of my leadership experiences at Columbia University in New York and my upbringing in St. Louis provide a unique perspective on how to support growth and further the excellence of the School of Medicine,” he said. “I’m excited by our potential and can’t wait to get started.”

From 1975 to 1980, Alderson was a faculty member at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions as a part-time instructor and as an associate professor of radiology and environmental health sciences. He has also been an instructor of radiology at Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology in St. Louis.
He has also served as a major in the U.S. Air Force, and did research at the Defense Nuclear Agency at the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute.

“The students and faculty have [the] highest respect and expectations for Dr. Alderson. He came with virtually unanimous support,” said Dana Hartnagel, third year SLU School of Medicine student, who served on the search committee for a new dean. “He supports the genuine mission [and] will advance research and ensure that medical students receive the highest quality of education.”

Patricia L. Monteleone, M.D., who served as the Dean of the School of Medicine since 1994, has decided to retire after more than 40 years at SLU School of Medicine. Monteleone has been a student, faculty member, physician and researcher at the School of Medicine.

“The new dean will need to continue to refine the processes in terms of its location, recruitment and so forth,” Monteleone said. “As far as the curriculum is concerned, he or she will need to bring more education into the curriculum on professionalism. We need to spend more time teaching students about appropriate behavior, honesty, behaving as role models and dealing with patients.”

“He . had better be stable as a rock because the crises can come not just daily but hourly,” she said. “I’d also recommend a dean keep a sense of humor. Otherwise they won’t get through it.

“Patience is another necessary virtue . The dean also has to lead with integrity and fairness. You don’t have to please everyone but if you’re honest and fair and consistent, you can live with yourself.”