University of Vermont College of Medicine Dean Frederick C. Morin, M.D., has announced that, after a national search, Ira Bernstein, M.D., has been named senior associate dean for research. Bernstein, who will succeed Russell Tracy, Ph.D., professor of pathology and biochemistry and director of the Laboratory for Clinical Biochemistry Research, will begin his new position on July 1, 2009. Bernstein is a professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences and serves as vice-chair for obstetrics and director of maternal fetal medicine at UVM and Fletcher Allen Health Care. In addition to his primary responsibilities as senior associate dean, he will continue to practice medicine and remain actively engaged in research. An experienced clinician and clinical/translational investigator, Bernstein brings a wealth of administrative experience to the senior associate dean position at the College of Medicine. In addition to his departmental leadership roles, he served as the first research subject advocate for UVM’s General Clinical Research Center and served for ten years on the UVM Institutional Review Board for human subjects research, including four years as associate chair and five years as chair of the committee. Bernstein’s earlier service also included terms as board president and board chair on the former University Health Center Board of Trustees. Currently, as a member of the University Research Scholarship and Graduate Education Committee, he is helping UVM develop a roadmap to achieve its goal to be among the nation’s premier small research universities. Bernstein’s experience will provide a broad foundation for his future work to advance the research mission of the College, helping to build clinical/translational research, aligning faculty recruitments with research priorities, and facilitating research collaborations across the college and campus. He will also have responsibility for allocating research space, as well as budgetary oversight for bridge and salary funding, and support for core facilities and programs. As a researcher, Bernstein has a successful track record of independent investigation, including basic and clinical research. He is currently funded as a principle investigator on a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to conduct a study of pre-eclampsia and serves in the role of co-investigator on two other large clinical studies. Nationally, Bernstein serves on the Pregnancy and Neonatology study section for NIH, and has been invited to chair this study section beginning in July 2009. He has also participated on several NIH expert panels and advisory committees. He has been a member of the Perinatal Research Society since 1996, serving as president in 2005, and received the Ross Award for Clinical Science Presentation and the Ross Award for Basic Science Presentation from the New England Perinatal Society. He was also honored with the Fellow Plenary Session Award from the Society for Perinatal Obstetricians. A native of New York, N.Y., Bernstein graduated magna cum laude with a B.S. degree from Union College in Schenectady, N.Y., and earned his medical degree from the UVM College of Medicine in 1983. He completed his residency training in obstetrics and gynecology at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., followed by a maternal fetal medicine fellowship at UVM. He joined UVM/Fletcher Allen in 1987, was promoted through the ranks and named full professor in 2001. Bernstein was appointed director of maternal fetal medicine and vice chair for obstetrics in 2003, and has served as the Director of the Maternal Fetal Medicine training fellowship since 2004. He also was tapped to serve as Acting Chair and Health Service Leader in early 2007. Bernstein and his family live in Huntington, Vt.