Theodore DeWeese, an internationally recognized radiation oncologist, has been named vice dean for clinical affairs at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and president of the Clinical Practice Association, a group practice of full-time clinical faculty members and clinical associates.

DeWeese, the Sidney Kimmel Professor and director of radiation oncology and molecular radiation sciences at Johns Hopkins, succeeds Bill Baumgartner, who retired as vice dean for clinical affairs after more than 35 years with Johns Hopkins.

Since coming to Johns Hopkins 27 years ago for a residency in radiation oncology, DeWeese says he has been inspired by what Johns Hopkins means to the world of medicine.

“The core missions of excellence in research, teaching and patient care matter very much to me,” he says. “I believe I have a certain skill set that can keep us focused on those goals while trying to expand our clinical enterprise.”

Chief among his priorities are working with Janice Clements, vice dean for faculty, and Cynthia Rand, senior associate dean for faculty, to establish a clinical track for physicians and potentially other clinicians involved predominantly in clinical care. Currently, the institution has one track through which young trainees both conduct research and perform clinical duties. With declining federal funds for research, however, the institution relies on clinical work to help support investigations, he says. A clinical track could both meet career goals for some physicians and help support research and educational endeavors.

Additionally, DeWeese says he would like to create a more unified practice plan.

“We have one faculty practice and one system that governs it, the CPA, but we don’t function as clearly as one cohesive unit in some of the decisions we make,” he says. “One of my goals over the next couple of years is to try to create the infrastructure that would allow us to be much more unified in how we manage the business of medicine for Johns Hopkins.”

DeWeese received his M.D. from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. He served as chief resident and completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at what is now the Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center and at the Brady Urological Institute in the early 1990s, then steadily climbed the academic ladder. He joined the school of medicine faculty in 1995.

DeWeese, president-elect of the American Society for Radiation Oncology, has served in several leadership roles at Johns Hopkins including founding director of the Department of Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Sciences, and vice president for interdisciplinary patient care. His research interests include prostate cancer, DNA damage repair, and the development of radio-sensitizing drugs and small molecules.