Michael S. Kay Appointed MD-PhD Program Director

Mar 31, 2020 12:00 AM

March 31, 2020

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce that Michael S. Kay, MD, PhD, has been appointed as the Director of

the MD-PhD Program.

Dr. Kay is well-suited to lead and enhance the MD-PhD Program. He is widely published in the

peptide drug design with a particular focus on antiviral applications. Dr. Kay started his

independent academic career at the U. in 2001 after completing his MD-PhD at Stanford and

postdoctoral training at MIT. He is currently a Professor of Biochemistry, Director of the Biological

Chemistry Graduate Program and the NIH Chemical Biology Training Grant, and an H.A. and

Edna Benning Presidential Endowed Chair.

Dr. Kay will build upon the achievements of his predecessor Robert Taylor, MD, PhD, whose

leadership has placed the program in a strong position for further success. Dr. Taylor will be

relocating to the University of Buffalo, where he will become Assistant Dean for MD-PhD studies

and an investigator in their Clinical and Translational Research Center.

The MD-PhD Program, founded in 1993, trains students to become highly valued physicianscientists

in the biomedical workforce. It enhances the educational and research activities in

the health sciences and has achieved many successes including three Lindau Awards, a high

F30 funding success rate, over 400 publications, outstanding residency placements, and a high

percentage of graduates currently in academia.

Dr. Kay has been involved with Program for many years, is deeply committed to the success of

its students, and looks forward to building on Dr. Taylor’s great work.

Please join me in thanking Dr. Taylor for his leadership and welcoming Dr. Kay to this important

appointment.

Willard Dere MD FACP

B. Lue and Hope S. Bettilyon Presidential Endowed Chair in Internal Medicine for Diabetes

Research

Associate Vice President for Research

Professor of Internal Medicine

Co-Director, Center for Clinical and Translational Science

Executive Director, Program in Personalized Health

University of Utah Health Sciences Center