Ricardo Azziz

Ricardo Azziz
President of Georgia Regents University
In office 2013[1] – Present
Preceded by	(Position created)
President of Medical College of Georgia,[2] Georgia Health Sciences University
In office 2010[2] – 2013
Preceded by	Daniel W. Rahn
Succeeded by	(University dissolved)
Personal details
Born	(1958-03-25) March 25, 1958 Montevideo, Uruguay
Residence	Augusta, Georgia, United States
Alma mater	University of Puerto Rico Penn State University Georgetown University
Profession	University president Chief executive officer of Georgia Regents Health System
Website	http://www.gru.edu/president/

Ricardo Azziz is the founding president of Georgia Regents University (GRU) in Augusta, Georgia (USA), and chief executive officer^[3] of its health system.^[4] He also serves as a professor in GRU's departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medicine, and Medical Humanities; and is a researcher in the field of reproductive endocrinology, specifically androgen excess disorders.^[5] He is a recognized national and international leader in the field of reproductive endocrinology and surgery.

He became president of then-Medical College of Georgia^[2][6] (MCG) and CEO of its health system in July 2010. The university was renamed Georgia Health Sciences University (GHSU) and later consolidated with Augusta State University in January 2013 to form Georgia Regents University.

Azziz is a senior mentor of the Network of Minority Research Investigators of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases^[7][8] and representative of the American Association of Medical Colleges on the Council of Academic Societies. A fellow of both the American College of Surgeons and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, he has authored six textbooks, more than 150 chapters and reviews, and over 200 peer-reviewed articles.^[8]

He is also a visual artist and the creator of a significant portfolio of work, primarily pen-and-ink drawings reminiscent of the Surrealist style of the early 20th century.^[9]

Education

Ricardo Azziz was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, in 1958. His early years were spent in nomadic excursions from Uruguay to Puerto Rico to Costa Rica with his parents while they engaged in Ph.D.-level research before returning to Puerto Rico to begin his collegiate studies.^[8]

Azziz earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology/pre-med, graduating magna cum laude from the University of Puerto Rico, in Mayaguez. He then enrolled in the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine in Hershey, graduating in 1981. Following an internship and residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C., Azziz completed a fellowship in reproductive endocrinology and infertility at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.^[8]

Azziz later earned his M.P.H. in General Theory and Practice in 1995 from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and his M.B.A. from UAB in 2000, graduating with honors as he was inducted in the Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).^[2]

In Sept. 2014, Azziz received the Penn State Alumni Fellow Award, the university’s most prestigious alumni award; and served as the featured speaker for the PSU College of Medicine’s Convocation and Awards ceremony.^[10]

Early career

Prior to his appointment as president, Dr. Azziz was the Helping Hand of Los Angeles Chair in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he also served as director of the Center for Androgen Related Disorders. During his tenure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and UCLA, Azziz led institution-wide initiatives to measure and improve faculty productivity, new faculty development and retention, and academic excellence. He also served as health systems executive for one of the largest providers of OB/GYN services in California, in one of the largest free-standing medical centers in the Western United States.^[11] Under his leadership, the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology consistently ranked among the top 30 institutions providing gynecologic services in U.S. News & World Report’s annual Best Hospitals survey.^[12] At the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, he was a professor, vice chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the assistant dean for Clinical and Translational Sciences.^[13]

In 2005 Azziz was appointed by then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to the Independent Citizens Oversight Committee, the regulatory body for the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine.^[14]

Before arriving in Los Angeles, Azziz taught at the University of Alabama at Birmingham from 1987 to 2002, where he served in a variety of faculty positions in the departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Medicine.^[15]

Azziz led the creation of an international nonprofit organization, the Androgen Excess & Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Society, and in 2002 was named the founding Executive Director.^[16] He served in that capacity until 2007. He is the former president and a former board member of the Society of Reproductive Surgeons and also formerly served on the board of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.^[14]

Other past positions include serving as a representative to the Council of Academic Societies of the American Association of Medical Colleges; former chairman of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Advisory Committee on Reproductive Health Drugs; former member of the Reproductive Endocrinology Study Section of the National Institutes of Health (NIH); former member of the Independent Citizens Oversight Committee of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine; member of the Data and Safety Monitoring Board panel for the National Institute of Health/National Child Health and Human Development Reproductive Medicine Network; and past president of the Pennsylvania State College of Medicine Alumni Society.^[17]

MCG/GHSU presidency

In July 2010, Georgia state and school officials launched a new governance structure that put the Medical College of Georgia (MCG) clinical system back in the hands of the president. Thus when Azziz assumed the presidency, he took the helm of the MCG Health System/Medical College of Georgia integration effort, which then-University System of Georgia chancellor Erroll B. Davis Jr. called a “tremendously complex and extremely technical undertaking.” The two entities had operated independently until then-governor Sonny Perdue signed a law that created a new overarching entity, MCG Health System Inc., with Azziz as its board chair and CEO. MCG Health Inc., which operated the hospital and clinics, and Physicians Practice Group, which handled the physicians billing and insurance, began to report to MCG Health System.^[6]

Within a month, Azziz launched the Enterprise-Wide Strategic Planning initiative, which sought solutions in four primary areas: educational excellence, research growth, clinical integration/development, and workforce development. He also created a Faculty Satisfaction Action Team that relied on recommendations from the University Faculty Senate. The team began to address faculty concerns related to administrative bureaucracy, communications and development, and reward and recognition.^[18]

In September 2010, Azziz asked for state approval to change the institution’s name from Medical College of Georgia to Georgia Health Sciences University to further the goal of elevating the university’s national profile. Studies had shown the relative lack of branding power the name “Medical College of Georgia” had among faculty and administrators the university was interested in recruiting; a majority did not know it was a full health sciences university.^[9] In 2011, the University System of Georgia Board of Regents approved the name change to GHSU, and the MCG-affiliated hospitals changed their names to keep in alignment with the brand identity.^[19] The integrated academic medical center brought a strong credit rating from Moody’s with the accompanying statement predicting, “… that MCG will benefit from its strengthened relationship with the Georgia Health Sciences University …”^[20]

Shortly after integration, GHSU announced a teaching partnership with University Hospital that allowed students to complete rotations in particular specialties at University.^[21]

Azziz led the development of a strategic plan to guide GHSU over the next decade with the goal of becoming a world-class institution. The plan, called "Transformation 2020," highlighted organizational values to dictate future decision-making processes, which Azziz expanded on in his official blog.^[22] He was named to Georgia Trend’s 100 Influential Georgians for a second consecutive year in 2012, in part due to the strategic plan’s scope and vision.^[23]

The creation of Georgia Regents University

Before the integration was completed, the USG Board of Regents approved the consolidation of GHSU and Augusta State University, and Azziz was selected founding President of the resulting new university.^[24] The joining of a primarily graduate and professional level research university with selective admissions standards with a primarily undergraduate level university with an access mission was described as "one of the most complex consolidations undertaken in [Georgia], ... if not in the country." ^[25] Under Azziz's leadership, the consolidation team developed a new strategic plan called "Transition Forward" to articulate the mission, vision, and values of the consolidated university and map out the strategies and tactics for achieving them. Upon consolidation, GRU became Georgia's newest comprehensive research university, in addition to being the state's only public academic health center and only dental school.

The consolidation triggered a Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) substantive change review to affirm the new university met accreditation standards. The review was scheduled only months after consolidation, and the committee affirmed the consolidation's success with no recommendations for further action needed. Mark Smith, SACSCOC Vice President, called that achievement "a rarity." ^[26] Azziz’s success was featured in a Time magazine article focused on consolidation as a trend among higher education.^[27] The successful consolidation was even more noteworthy, as the USG provided no funding for the work needed to consolidate.^[23]

During his early tenure, several issues caused concern among some local residents: the selection of a university name that did not include "Augusta" ^[28] the use of university staff at a private event, and renovations at the President's residence done without approval through proper channels. The first was resolved by including "Augusta" in the name on signs and for marketing purposes,^[29] the second and third were rectified and reimbursed,^[30] and related policies were clarified and trained on.^[31]

GRU presidency

Within the first few months of consolidation, Azziz led GRU in accomplishing several milestones that expanded the footprint, reach and reputation of the new university. Georgia Regents Medical Center entered into a pioneering partnership with Philips Royal, a manufacturer of health care devices. The alliance is a first-of-its-kind delivery model in the United States with state-of-the-art methods for efficient and effective patient- and family-centered health care.^[6] GRU was awarded a Confucius Institute, in partnership with Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the first in the Western Hemisphere to focus on traditional Chinese medicine.^[32] The partnership aims to provide language and culture instruction to health professionals and is in line with Georgia Board of Regents’ plan to globalize education.^[33] GRMC began managing inpatient rehabilitation and long-term acute care services at Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation under a plan to bring the historic facility into a contemporary medical model.^[34] MCG opened satellite campuses in Albany, Rome, and Savannah^[35] in order to ease Georgia’s physician shortage, particularly in rural areas. And to increase access for local students, a partnership was formed with East Georgia State College where students who don’t meet GRU’s entrance requirements can enroll there as East Georgia students and, if successful, can transfer to GRU after two years.^[36]

The USG BOR identified ambitious goals for the new university: to increase opportunities to raise education attainment levels; improve accessibility, regional identity, and compatibility; avoid duplication of academic programs, while optimizing access to instruction; create significant potential for economies of scale and scope; enhance regional economic development; and streamline administrative services, while maintaining or improving service level and quality.^[37] On September 9, 2014, Azziz delivered a report to the BOR, describing significant progress toward achieving those goals in only the first 19 months of GRU's existence. These include increases in freshman retention (+7%), freshman progression (+278%), graduation rates (+36%), admission standards, enrollment (health sciences graduate/professional +9.5%, new freshmen +2.3%, new transfers +16%), alumni giving (+47.5%), research funding (+2%), among others. At the same time, administrative costs declined 10 percent.^[25]

On October 17, 2014, Azziz presided over the grand opening of a new, state-of-the-art medical and dental education building, the J. Harold Harrison, M.D. Education Commons, which Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal said was part of the state's goal to " ... make Georgia Regents University Augusta one of the 50 top medical schools in the entire country." ^[38]

Research

Azziz is a world-renowned expert in female reproductive disorders, particularly androgen excess and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS).^[39] A clinical translational researcher, Azziz developed an ongoing internationally recognized program of investigation in androgen excess disorders in women, funded by the NIH since 1988. He has generated more than 600 publications, reviews and chapters, and various texts,^[40] and authored/edited numerous books (see "Publications — Books" below).

His research has helped link PCOS with a body’s resistance to the effects of insulin by examining the role of miRNA-93,^[41] shown how obesity relates to a person’s risk of PCOS,^[42] and highlighted the adrenal gland’s impact on increased androgen in PCOS. In addition, Azziz’s work with hyperplasia, hyperandrogenemia, and other disorders has been published in various journals such as the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism^[43] and Journal of Reproductive Medicine.^[44]

Publications -- Books

• Cundiff G, Azziz R, Bristow R, eds. Te Linde's Atlas of Gynecologic Surgery. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia, PA, 2013.
• Azziz R, ed. The Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Currents Concepts On Pathogenesis And Clinical Practice. Springer, New York, NY, 2007.
• Azziz R, ed. Obstetrics & Gynecology: Cases, Questions, and Answers. McGraw-Hill Medical, New York, NY, 2007.
• Giudice LC, Legro RS, Azziz R, eds. Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Hyperandrogenism, Best Practice & Research-Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, Vol. 20, number 2, Elsevier Pub., June, 2006.
• Azziz R, Nestler JE, Dewailly D, eds. Androgen Excess Disorders in Women - Second Edition. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ, 2006.
• Carr B, Blackwell RE, Azziz R, eds. Essential Reproductive Endocrinology. McGraw-Hill Publishers, New York, NY, 2004.
• Azziz R, Nestler JE, Dewailly D, eds. Androgen Excess Disorders in Women. Lippincott-Raven Publishers, Philadelphia, Pa, 1997.
• Azziz R, Murphy AA, eds. Practical Manual of Operative Laparoscopy and Hysteroscopy - Second Edition. Springer-Verlag, New York, NY, 1997 (also translated to Chinese).
• Azziz R, Murphy AA, eds. Practical Manual of Operative Laparoscopy and Hysteroscopy. Springer-Verlag, New York, NY, 1992.

References

External links

• Office of the President — Georgia Regents University
• R. Azziz Art Studio — Visual arts website
• Ricardo Azziz on Twitter
• Ricardo Azziz on Huffington Post
• Sculpting in Clay Blog - Georgia Regents University
• "Everywhere and Nowhere" - Art gallery on Integral Life