Victor M. Darley-Usmar, Ph.D., has been named senior associate dean for Research Compliance and Administration at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine.
Darley-Usmar received his Ph.D. at the University of Essex in England followed by a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Oregon to pursue his interests in the structure and function of mitochondrial proteins in human disease. After a period as a lecturer in Japan and ten years as a research-scientist at the Burroughs Wellcome Fund in London, he joined UAB in 1995 to establish his own research group in the Department of Pathology.
He has received multiple awards for training and mentoring and has served in leadership roles in training and education. Darley-Usmar is currently serving as associate dean for research for the UAB school of medicine and is the inaugural holder of the Endowed Professor in Mitochondrial Medicine and Pathology. He brings his experience in the commercial sector and career development programs to the strategic management of the School of Medicine research enterprise. In his own research program, he has been instrumental in defining how redox biology modifies mitochondrial function in pathology. In recognition of these achievements, Darley-Usmar was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Society for Free Radical Biology and Medicine in 2012 and was recognized as the UAB Distinguished Faculty Lecturer in 2017. He has been continuously funded by the NIH for 25 years and has published over 300 articles.
“The success of our research programs over the last few years has occurred over a period of an unprecedented increase in complexity in the compliance environment,” Darley-Usmar said. “This new role in the dean’s office will coordinate our efforts with the institution to bring the highest level of integrity to our research enterprise in the most effective and efficient way.”
In this role, Darley-Usmar will act as chair of the Executive Risk Oversight Committee for the School of Medicine and work closely with the Compliance and Risk Assurance Office to develop and monitor the School of Medicine’s risk mitigation plan and provide expertise and input into federally mandated changes to research compliance documentation with the Office of Sponsored Programs. He will also oversee personnel management concerns in research laboratories, assist research-intensive faculty, and numerous other responsibilities.
“Dr. Darley-Usmar has earned tremendous respect from colleagues both nationally and internationally, and his experience will continue to fuel our research powerhouse,” said Selwyn M. Vickers, M.D., FACS, senior vice president for Medicine and dean of the School of Medicine. “Under his leadership, our researchers will have continued guidance to ensure compliance and accurate reporting.”
Darley-Usmar will officially assume this role on Jan. 1, 2021.