By Ashley Jennings
After a highly competitive and rigorous search, the University of Louisville announced that the world-renowned researcher Dr. Manuel Martínez-Maldonado will be the new executive vice president for research.
Martínez-Maldonado is a highly recognized educator, administrator, researcher and has an extensive background in clinical care. His research on renal physiology prevention, detection, and treatment of renal diseases, has made him an internationally renowned scholar. Martínez-Maldonado also specializes in the fields of hypertension, nephrology and internal medicine.
“I chose to work at the University of Louisville because of its level of excellence and its potential to reach a higher level,” said Martínez-Maldonado, who officially assumed his role on Jan. 2. “I was attracted to the institution because in the last five years, it has been one of the fastest growing urban institutions in the country.”
Martínez-Maldonado has served as a professor at Baylor College of Medicine, the University of Puerto Rico, Emory University, and the Oregon Health Sciences University. He also taught at Harvard and Vanderbilt University. Martínez-Maldonado has held two department chair positions: Department of Physiology at the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine and the Department of Medicine at the San Juan Veterans Administration Center.
In addition to serving on numerous committees of the National Institutes of Health, Martínez-Maldonado has received numerous international research awards and has several hundred publications to his credit.
He succeeds Dr. Nancy Martin who recently concluded ten years as executive vice president for research at U of L.
The role of vice president for research has become crucial to the university’s progression, especially since U of L recently made the largest gains of any university in a research ranking by the National Institutes of Health.
According to the Office of the President, the institution is “aspiring to achieve recognition as one of the world’s premier metropolitan research universities, and is committed to a research environment conducive to creating and freely disseminating the best scholarly contributions and scientific discoveries.”
U of L President Dr. James Ramsey recognized both Martínez-Maldonado and predecessor Dr. Nancy Martin.
Ramsey said “Dr. Martínez-Maldonado brings a distinguished career of research and administration to this post,” Ramsey said. “As executive vice president for research for the past ten years, Dr. Nancy Martin did an outstanding job in building our research program. I believe Martínez-Maldonado will build skillfully upon our research successes.”
As the new vice president for research, Martínez-Maldonado is expected to provide central leadership to the university’s research, scholarly and creative programs and to report directly to the president.
He is also responsible for establishing and upholding the university’s policies and plans on research.
“One of my main responsibilities is the implementation of the university’s research portfolio and strategic plan,” Martínez-Maldonado said, “which is fundamental for the institution’s goal of increasing excellence as an urban research university.”
Martínez-Maldonado said his first plan of action is to begin his learning process. After studying the research portfolio thoroughly, he will adapt his ideas to the university’s strategic plan.
“Some of the goals are aimed towards ensuring that the cancer, neuroscience, cardiology, and cardiovascular centers all continue to work at a higher level of excellence,” he said.
Martínez-Maldonado said he is looking forward to the new challenge of his new post, and encourages students to consider a career of scholarly work, because “research is the key to the future of tomorrow,” he said.
