Robert E. Chason, who last year assumed directorship of the UC Davis Medical Center when Martha Marsh departed for Stanford, has been appointed to a five-year term as the center's chief executive officer.

UC Davis Provost Virginia Hinshaw had initially planned to conduct a national search for Marsh's successor this year, but decided instead to formally appoint Chason to the usual five-year administrative term to provide continuity of exemplary leadership at a time of both substantial challenge and opportunity for the medical center.

"Bob is doing a superb job in the view of both internal and external folks," Hinshaw said. "His continuing leadership will ensure progress and stability at a time of great change for the medical center. Bob truly knows how to deal with tough issues, yet continue to move forward in a positive direction. He is a great colleague and is truly committed to UC Davis."

Although the UC Davis Medical Center has a long history of financial stability, it now faces unprecedented financial challenges. Federal, state and county budget deficits are resulting in deep cuts to Medicare, Medi-Cal and indigent-care programs. At the same time, a growing number of uninsured patients, a nationwide shortage of nurses and other qualified professionals, overwhelming demand for emergency and other hospital services, and unfunded regulatory mandates ranging from seismic safety and privacy to staffing levels and billing rules, are placing severe strains on the entire health-care system.

The medical center is also prepared to take advantage of exciting opportunities critical to its future success. A major initiative to implement an electronic medical record will put UC Davis at the forefront of patient-care quality and efficiency. Several major construction projects will soon expand capacity in high-demand areas such as emergency and surgery services, in addition to enhancing the school's educational programs, and strengthening research efforts in cancer, biophotonics and other key areas.

"We must position ourselves now to meet the challenges of the future," Chason said. "I find it both immensely challenging and deeply satisfying to be a part of this institution and its leadership team. I look forward to the future and feel honored to play a part in shaping it."

School of Medicine Dean Joseph Silva Jr. praised Chason's "deep and abiding commitment to our academic mission. The faculty and I have tremendous confidence in him and in his leadership."

Rick Fowler, vice president of USAA and member of the UC Davis Health System's Leadership Council, said Chason knows the academic health-care business "inside and out, and he knows our community equally well. This talented leader has proven to be exactly the right person to guide the medical center through the particularly difficult challenges the health system now faces."

Shelton Duruisseau, the health system's executive associate director of external affairs, noted Chason's team approach to decision making and clear vision, "which enable him to balance competing needs and priorities, both internally and externally."

Gloria Alvarado, the health system's associate director for human resources, said Chason is accessible and responsive to the concerns of staff. "He has fostered an unprecedented level of open communication throughout the health system."

Chason is well known for taking a regional approach to improving health care for Northern Californians. He has been effective in bringing together the leadership of Sacramento's four hospital systems to tackle such community-wide issues as emergency department overcrowding and a shortage of nursing staff.

His efforts to strengthen relationships with other hospitals -- especially those in rural areas of the state -- resulted in a consortium of 17 community hospitals and collaborative agreements that bring much-needed specialty medical care to small and rural communities throughout Northern California.

He spearheaded efforts to establish jointly operated cancer centers with Mercy Hospital in Merced and Rideout Hospital in Marysville, greatly improving access to cancer therapy and clinical trials for residents in these communities.

Chason oversaw an expansion of UC Davis' top-ranked telemedicine program and helped establish a unique Center for Health and Technology to explore new approaches to distance medicine and distance learning.

Before joining the medical center in 1994 as its chief operating officer, Chason served for 15 years in the UC Davis Office of Student Affairs, first as assistant and associate vice chancellor and then as acting vice chancellor. Before joining UC Davis in 1979, he spent 12 years at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, where he held several positions including assistant vice president for business administration and business manager.

He earned a bachelor's degree from Wilmington College in 1965 and a master of education degree from Miami University in 1967.

UC Davis Medical Center, with nearly 900,000 patient visits each year, encompasses a 528-bed, acute-care hospital and its affiliated outpatient centers, including a primary care network of physician practices in 15 Northern California communities. It provides more charity care than any other hospital in the region.

UC Davis Health System is an integrated, academic health system encompassing the UC Davis School of Medicine, its medical center in Sacramento and a 550-physician medical group. With annual operating revenue in excess of $695 million and annual research funding in excess of $94 million, the health system has a major economic impact in the region.