TAMPA, Fla. (Oct. 29, 2014) — Prominent academic leader Edmund F. Funai, MD, the interim dean of The Ohio State University College of Medicine, is taking on a new leadership role at the University of South Florida.
Dr. Funai will be the vice president and chief operating officer of USF Health. He also will serve in a new capacity as the USF System vice president for strategic development. Dr. Funai will begin his work at USF in November.
In addition to his current position as interim dean, Dr. Funai is also the chief operating officer for the five hospitals that comprise the OSU Health System.
Dr. Ed Funai
“Dr. Funai is one of the nation’s most admired emerging medical leaders and his talent for building strong organizations will be a great benefit to both USF Health and the entire University of South Florida System,” said President Judy Genshaft. “Our growing national and international reputation as a center for academic excellence and research is deeply rooted in health sciences. The dual roles Dr. Funai has been assigned will ensure we maximize the world-class talents and skills of faculty and students for the benefit of USF Health’s patients as well as the wider Tampa Bay community.”
In his USF System role, Dr. Funai will advise President Genshaft in creating and executing strategic initiatives.
At USF Health, Dr. Funai will lead the health colleges’ daily operations. His primary focus will be to continue the rapid expansion of USF Health clinical operations and partnerships with area hospitals. It is expected that Dr. Funai’s extensive expertise and experience with faculty practice and hospital operations will prove invaluable in this new role. He is considered a leading expert in patient safety and quality improvement.
“Having worked with Dr. Funai since 1996, I have complete confidence that his leadership will substantially accelerate the rise of USF Health to preeminence among U.S. academic health systems,” said Dr. Charles Lockwood, senior vice president of USF Health and dean of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.
Dr. Funai has also held leadership positions at New York and Yale Universities having served as director of Obstetrics at Bellevue Hospital, NYU’s major affiliate and as chair of the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation’s Regional Perinatal Care Task Force. He also was chief of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Yale and chief of obstetrics at Yale-New Haven Hospital.
“I am so impressed with the trajectory of the University of South Florida and of the Tampa Bay area,” Dr. Funai said. “It’s remarkable. It’s outpaced many institutions that have a 100-year head start. It’s going to very exciting to be part of that energy.”
Pending the recommendation of the faculty and the chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dr. Funai will be recommended for tenure at the rank of full professor.
Dr. Funai is a cum laude graduate of the University of Notre Dame and of New York Medical College, where he was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha, the prestigious medical school honor society. He completed his residency at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City and a fellowship in maternal–fetal medicine at NYU School of Medicine. An outstanding clinician, Dr. Funai has been continuously named to numerous “Best Doctors” lists, including those published by Castle–Connolly since 2007. His research interests include hypertension in pregnancy and patient safety. His patient safety work has been recognized with the Award for Research Excellence by the Society for Maternal–Fetal Medicine. He has more than 100 publications in peer reviewed journals, numerous chapters in prestigious textbooks, and 120 presentations at national meetings. He has also edited a textbook in high risk obstetrics and his research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Dr. Funai and his wife, Maryanne, have three children: twins Peter and Phoebe, 13, and son Luke, 5.
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The University of South Florida is a high-impact, global research university dedicated to student success. USF is a Top 50 research university among both public and private institutions nationwide in total research expenditures, according to the National Science Foundation. Serving nearly 48,000 students, the USF System has an annual budget of $1.5 billion and an annual economic impact of $4.4 billion. USF is a member of the American Athletic Conference.
Media contact:
Anne DeLotto Baier, USF Health Communications
abaier@health.usf.edu or (813) 974-3303
