The University of Iowa is continuing to showcase that it is a destination university through its Transformational Faculty Hiring Program.
Two recent hires exemplify the program’s success in bringing exceptional faculty leaders to the university: Mark Burkard, who was appointed as the new director of Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center and C.E. Block Chair of Cancer Research in July; and Martin Grace, who recently joined the Tippie College of Business as professor and Clement T. and Sylvia Hanson Family Chair in Finance and faculty director of the Vaughan Institute of Risk Management and Insurance.
“The Transformational Faculty Hiring Program has been a great tool to help us foster excellence and innovation across our campus,” says President Barbara Wilson. “By recruiting prominent leaders like Burkard and Grace, we are strengthening our academic programs, expanding our research capabilities, and enhancing our reputation for attracting talent from across the country.”
Established in 2022 by the Office of the President and Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost, the Transformational Faculty Hiring Program seeks to hire tenured faculty who can have an immediate and signature impact on the university due to their expertise, scholarship, and teaching.
Burkard and Grace are the second and third hires under the Transformational Faculty Hiring Program. Eric Hunter, chair of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders and the Harriet B. and Harold S. Brady Chair in Liberal Arts and Sciences, was the first faculty member recruited through the program.
“The expertise and leadership of these exceptional faculty members will propel our university forward by attracting top students, increasing interdisciplinary collaboration, and reinforcing our role as a leader in higher education,” says Kevin Kregel, executive vice president and provost. “Their additions underscore our strategic focus on elevating academic excellence and faculty achievement.”
Mark Burkard, director of Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center
Mark Burkard, a renowned oncologist and researcher, in July was named the new director of Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center and C.E. Block Chair of Cancer Research. He will also serve as professor in the Department of Internal Medicine in the Division of Hematology, Oncology, and Blood and Marrow Transplantation in the Carver College of Medicine.
Burkard, who will begin his appointment Oct. 1, comes to Iowa with a distinguished background in precision oncology, particularly in the study and treatment of breast cancer. He is currently the Mary and Rob Gooze Chair in Metastatic Breast Cancer and professor in the Division of Hematology, Medical Oncology, and Palliative Care at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he has been instrumental in advancing cancer research and improving patient care.
His leadership of the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center will further elevate the center’s national and international standing in cancer research and treatment.
Martin Grace, professor and Clement T. and Sylvia Hanson Family Chair in Finance
Martin Grace joins the Tippie College of Business as professor and Clement T. and Sylvia Hanson Family Chair in Finance. He will also serve as the faculty director of the Vaughan Institute of Risk Management and Insurance.
The appointment of Grace, an internationally recognized expert in risk management and insurance, is a key part of the university’s strategy to strengthen its leadership in this rapidly growing field, which also included establishing Tippie’s Risk Management and Insurance program in fall 2023. He is currently the James E. Boettner Professor in the Department of Risk, Actuarial Science, and Legal Studies at Temple University’s Fox School of Business and Management.
His research, which spans enterprise risk management, insurance regulation, law, finance, and economics, positions the college to continue growing its interdisciplinary research profile and establish new collaborations across colleges.