Reaping benefits for years to come
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I came to Emory 22 years ago, recruited by the then new dermatology chair. I had worked with Tom Lawley at the National Cancer Institute, where he headed a highly regarded lab in dermatologic immunology, and I jumped at the chance to join the department he was building, almost from scratch. Under his leadership, Emory dermatology became one of the nation's best, most impressively going from zero research funding to the third highest of any dermatology department in the nation.
When he took the deanship 16 years ago, no one was surprised to see the medical school quickly move forward on all counts. The number of faculty has doubled, to more than 2,000. A world-class curriculum attracts the nation's most promising students—and visitors from other medical schools to see how we are preparing them. More than a million square feet of new clinical, teaching, and research space have been added during his watch, including the James B. Williams Medical Education Building. Research funding has increased five-fold. More important, our faculty has discovered and developed numerous new ways to diagnose, treat, and prevent disease.
Tom himself is quick to credit the faculty for these and other achievements, and it is true that one of his greatest gifts has been the ability to identify and bring on board amazing men and women. Faculty, however, credit the dean for his vision, his steadfastness, his integrity (often the first word used to describe him), and the way in which he models and inspires collegiality and cooperation.
This most recent report, for all its achievements, can only hint of Tom Lawley's legacy. We'll be seeing and living it for decades to come. Thank you, Tom, from all of us.
Wright Caughman, MD
Executive VP for Health Affairs
CEO, Woodruff Health Sciences Center
Chairman, Emory Healthcare
