Feb. 19, 2021–The Utah Board of Higher Education named Dr. Michael L. Good as interim president of the University of Utah today, to take effect in April 2021. Dr. Good will return to his current roles as CEO of University of Utah Health, Dean of the University of Utah School of Medicine, and Senior Vice President of Health Sciences at the university after the Board of Higher Education completes the presidential search and a new president is appointed.
Ruth V. Watkins, current president of the University of Utah, announced on Jan. 12, 2021, that she planned to step down as president effective in April 2021. It is anticipated that a new president will be in place by the fall of 2021, but the Board will take the necessary time to find the most qualified candidate.
“Dr. Good is highly qualified and well-prepared to take on the interim role at the University of Utah,” said Nina Barnes, Vice Chair of the Utah Board of Higher Education. “Dr. Good has worked to advance the university’s health system and has led both it and the more than 20,000 talented faculty, staff and students, who make up University of Utah Health, over the last two and a half years. The Board is confident that he will see the University of Utah successfully through this transition. We congratulate Dr. Good on this appointment and are thankful for his dedication to the long-term success of the institution.”
Dr. Good has served as CEO of University of Utah Health since August 2018. He also serves as Dean of the University of Utah School of Medicine and the Senior Vice President of Health Sciences. He previously served as dean of the University of Florida College of Medicine, where he maintained a strong focus on teams, faculty, and students. A professor of anesthesiology, Dr. Good is also a noted inventor. Early in his academic career, he led a team of UF physicians and engineers to create the Human Patient Simulator, a sophisticated computerized teaching tool that is now used in health-care education programs throughout the world. Dr. Good graduated with distinction from the University of Michigan with a bachelor’s degree in computer and communication sciences. He also earned his medical degree from Michigan and moved to Gainesville in 1984 to complete residency training in anesthesiology and a research fellowship at the University of Florida.
For more information about the University of Utah presidential search, visit presidentsearch.utah.edu.
