School of Medicine Dean Michael J. Stamos Appointed as Interim Vice Chancellor of Health Affairs

Chancellor Howard Gillman announced in a statement that Dean Michael J. Stamos, MD, has been appointed as interim vice chancellor of UC Irvine Health Affairs, effective July 15, 2026. He will continue to serve as dean of the School of Medicine. 
 
Stamos will succeed Steve Goldstein, MD, PhD, who has accepted a new role as president of the University of New Mexico. Goldstein served as vice chancellor of Health Affairs for the past seven years since 2019. 
 
Stamos joined the School of Medicine in 2002, where he established the Division of Colon & Rectal Surgery in the Department of Surgery. In 2010, he became chair of the Department of Surgery. In July 2017, he was named dean of the School of Medicine.
 
Under Stamos’ leadership, the School of Medicine has steadily climbed in national research rankings and has received the highest accreditation possible from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and the American Medical Association (AMA) Liaison Committee on Medical Education. The school has more than doubled its fundraising, greatly increased its research funding, developed new mission-based educational programs, substantially enlarged its full-time faculty, and grown its applicant pool.
 
Stamos has also been a key contributor to the success of UCI Health and as a partner across UC Irvine by actively fostering collaborations within and beyond the Susan & Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences (COHS), which includes the School of Medicine, the Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing, the School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, the Joe C. Wen School of Population & Public Health, and the Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute.