Internationally-Known Neurologist Martin Named Medical School Dean

A well-known neurologist praised by colleagues for his integrity and warmth was named the next dean of Harvard Medical School, the University announced yesterday.

Joseph B. Martin, currently the chancellor of the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF), will replace Daniel C. Tosteson '44 in June.

Martin said in an interview last night that he accepted the position "because it's Harvard."

"I'm looking forward to getting back in touch with the real world of students and faculty," Martin said. "I like to get the most out of people, to help them be the most creative and productive individuals that they can be."

Martin said he plans to have lunch with a medical student at least one day a week.

"I'd like to get to know the students personally and find out their career objectives," he said.

President Neil L. Rudenstine said he was pleased that Martin had accepted the deanship.

"It was a cumulative set of criteria and qualities that made the difference," Rudenstine said in an interview yesterday, citing Martin's personal, scientific, intellectual and administrative accomplishments.

In his tenure at UCSF, Martin led the school's first capital campaign to raise more than $550 million, and has built biochemistry and molecular biology programs considered among the best in the country.

Martin is also familiar with Harvard and the Medical School, having taught as Dorn professor of neurology for 21 years prior to accepting his first position at UCSF as dean.

During his tenure at Harvard, Martin served as acting director and chief of neurology services at Mass. General Hospital (MGH), one of Harvard's teaching hospitals.

"He was a very central figure in the faculty of the school," said S. James Adelstein, executive dean for academic programs at MGH. "He has all the qualifications for leadership. He's definitive in his actions. He's a gentleman."

Samuel O. Their, a colleague of Martin's and the chief executive officer of Partners Health Care System, a conglomerate encompassing Mass. General and Brigham and Women's Hospitals, said Martin was "the ideal candidate" for the job.

"He has a long and distinguished career as a pioneering neuroscientist and is widely respected as a gifted and passionate teacher," Their said. "The decade he spent at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School provides Joe with a valuable perspective of the University and its affiliated teaching hospitals."

Martin's colleagues from across the continent also enthusiastically endorsed his selection as dean.

Garth M. Bray, director of neurology at Montreal General Hospital, has been a personal friend of Martin's since they did their residency together in the 1960s.

"He's extremely warm," Bray said. "He's loyal to his friends, concerned about their joys and their sorrows."

"He's a remarkable person. That's a little trite, but it sums him up nicely," Bray continued.

Richard A. Murphy, the director of the Montreal Neurological Institute, called his colleague a "superstar administrator."

"He's obviously had a number of extremely important jobs and experiences at a very high level," Rudenstine said.

Others who have worked with Martin said they agreed with his characterization as a superb administrator.

"He's been in the administrative sector for many years, and he's proven himself," said Jack P. Antel, the chair of the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery at McGill University, a position Martin held in the 1970s.

"He is someone who is able to foresee developments in medicine," Antel said. "He really is a person who is a leader in the medical field in the broadest sense."

Model Academic Physician

Antel said that Martin, the author of more than 200 scientific articles, "has been the model of an academic physician over the years."

Martin is highly regarded internationally, according to Murphy.

"He began as a neuroanatomist," Murphy said. "He's always been an extremely strong clinical neurologist."

In 1989, Martin chaired a committee on mapping the human brain at the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. He also collaborated in discovering the genetic marker for Huntington's disease, making early diagnosis possible.

"He's going to bring a superb knowledge of science and education to the position, as well as a vision of how a medical school should run in...a challenging time for academic medicine," said Anne Young, chief of neurology service at MGH.

"He is a gem," said Daniel D. Federman '49, dean for medical education. "He's a connecting kind of person. People relate easily to him."

"He is a good, not outstanding, tennis player," said Federman, who added he is looking forward to resuming regular matches with Martin. "I'm delighted to have him back."

But Martin said his return to Harvard might not coincide with a return to the court.

"My tennis has gone to pot," he said. "I've reached that horrible age where you wonder if you should start to play golf.

Others who have worked with Martin said they agreed with his characterization as a superb administrator.

"He's been in the administrative sector for many years, and he's proven himself," said Jack P. Antel, the chair of the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery at McGill University, a position Martin held in the 1970s.

"He is someone who is able to foresee developments in medicine," Antel said. "He really is a person who is a leader in the medical field in the broadest sense."

Model Academic Physician

Antel said that Martin, the author of more than 200 scientific articles, "has been the model of an academic physician over the years."

Martin is highly regarded internationally, according to Murphy.

"He began as a neuroanatomist," Murphy said. "He's always been an extremely strong clinical neurologist."

In 1989, Martin chaired a committee on mapping the human brain at the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. He also collaborated in discovering the genetic marker for Huntington's disease, making early diagnosis possible.

"He's going to bring a superb knowledge of science and education to the position, as well as a vision of how a medical school should run in...a challenging time for academic medicine," said Anne Young, chief of neurology service at MGH.

"He is a gem," said Daniel D. Federman '49, dean for medical education. "He's a connecting kind of person. People relate easily to him."

"He is a good, not outstanding, tennis player," said Federman, who added he is looking forward to resuming regular matches with Martin. "I'm delighted to have him back."

But Martin said his return to Harvard might not coincide with a return to the court.

"My tennis has gone to pot," he said. "I've reached that horrible age where you wonder if you should start to play golf.