Jan. 30, 2018

OHSU School of Medicine Dean Sharon Anderson has announced that Atif Zaman, M.D., M.P.H., professor of medicine, OHSU School of Medicine, and professor of public health and preventive medicine, OHSU-PSU School of Public Health, will become the senior associate dean for clinical and faculty affairs in the School of Medicine Office of the Dean on March 1.

Dr. Zaman, a hepatologist, has been with OHSU more than 20 years. He is the university section chief of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology in the Department of Medicine and took on the role of vice chair of clinical programs, working closely with Dr. Anderson when she was chair of medicine.

One of the many projects he helped lead was the OHSU Practice Plan eConsults program, which allows primary care and subspecialist clinicians to consult each other in the electronic medical record. He is director of quality and patient safety for the Department of Medicine and served as a liaison with OHSU leaders early in the expansion of OHSU as a health system. Dr. Zaman also holds a joint appointment in the V.A. Portland Health Care System.

"I could not be more thrilled to welcome Atif to the Dean's office," said Dr. Anderson. "We established an excellent working relationship in the Department of Medicine and the combination of his expertise in clinical programs and faculty engagement and his values, shaped by his commitment to excellent patient care at OHSU and the V.A., make him the right choice to help organize and support our faculty and departments."

In his new role, Dr. Zaman will serve as Dr. Anderson's "right hand," working with her senior leadership team and others to support all missions including assisting with faculty recruitment, development, engagement and wellness, and creation and growth of programs to optimize faculty diversity, equity and inclusion. In partnership with the OHSU Practice Plan, OHSU Hospital and the OHSU health system, he will work with the dean to assist in developing and executing clinical strategies, program development and clinical integration, alignment and engagement across OHSU affiliate sites, including the V.A. Portland Health Care System.

In his Department of Medicine leadership roles, Dr. Zaman has focused on engaging faculty in school and university-wide committee leadership and other faculty development opportunities. He developed a well-organized patient quality and safety program that involved faculty across the spectrum of patient care and services that the department provides. He has been a leader in supporting clinical integration with Tuality Healthcare and Adventist Health and keeping department faculty informed and integrated into that work.

"From Dr. Anderson, I really learned the importance of our faculty community and how a strong community serves patient care," Dr. Zaman said. "In giving me this opportunity to come to the Dean's office, I will now have the honor of working across departments and the practice plan. It's a natural transition for me in the work that I so enjoy doing, and to be able to do it with Sharon, I'm speechless."

Dr. Zaman said he places high value on his work with the VA and is interested in looking at how the school can additionally strengthen collaboration with OHSU's longest-running partner. He described equity, inclusion and diversity as three key principles underlying a successful faculty community and as "the glue; the thing that makes me want to come to work and makes us a stronger faculty and more effective in taking care of patients and improving the lives of Oregonians."

Dr. Zaman received his Bachelor of Science in biomedical engineering from Boston University in 1987, his medical degree from Tufts University, and his Master of Public Health from OHSU in 2000. Dr. Zaman's research has involved collaborations with a number of scientists and a series of clinical research projects. He is the principal investigator on numerous grants and is the recipient of the Western American Federation for Medical Research Outstanding Investigator Award. Dr. Zaman is a member of several national societies; the American Gastroenterological Association, the American College of Physicians, and the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. He has authored more than 50 manuscripts, review articles and abstracts.

Dr. Zaman is married to Doreen Zaman; the couple has two daughters, Evelyn, a sophomore at Tufts University, and Kalyn, a graduate of Emory University. The family enjoys world travel, and Dr. Zaman, an avid tennis player, especially enjoys going to major tennis tournaments around the globe.