printable versionUnder Dean Pizzo, big changes come to Medical School
BY RUTHANN RICHTER
Dean Philip Pizzo had several hours before he would appeal to the university's trustees on a matter that was critical to his vision of transforming medical education at Stanford. On that morning of Oct. 10, the trustees would decide whether to give the green light to construct the school's centerpiece building, the Learning and Knowledge Center.
Pizzo had been preparing for this moment months before his first day on the job five years ago—in April 2001. He had learned then the details of the school's history with the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), the powerful national group that had repeatedly cited the school for its "inadequate" facilities and nearly withdrawn its accreditation.
The LCME reviewers were scheduled to return to the campus several days after the trustees' meeting, and Pizzo was under pressure to prove there was progress on the facilities front. He had come to work at his usual 6:30 a.m., even though the day before he had walked his eldest daughter down the aisle and helped preside over a wedding party for TK guests. A man known for his relentless energy, he was unusually tired. He pumped himself up for the meeting. The presentation was vintage Pizzo—meticulously thorough, thoughtful and forward-looking. The trustees unanimously endorsed the project.
"It was in essence through his leadership and his vision that turned what was an enormous problem into a big opportunity with the LKC project—that was all Phil," said John Freidenrich, former chair of the board. "He had to get a lot of people to buy in, but he was the one pushing for it and working with the accreditation group."
It was all part of Pizzo's effort in his first five years at Stanford to bring about what he routinely refers to as "transformation" of the School of Medicine.