JACKSON, Miss. – Dr. Richard Summers, professor of emergency medicine, has been appointed UMMC associate vice chancellor for research.
He previously served as professor and chair of UMMC’s Department of Emergency Medicine. He is also an accomplished physician-scientist with nearly 300 publications to his credit. He has established a national reputation for his work on quantitative models of human physiology on behalf of NASA’s Digital Astronaut Program, particularly in regard to measuring the effects of microgravity on space travelers.
An honors graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi in mathematics and chemistry, Dr. Summers completed medical school at UMMC.
In addition to his clinical training, he completed a post-doctoral research fellowship in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics under the mentorship of Dr. Arthur Guyton and Dr. Tom Coleman. He holds a secondary faculty appointment as professor in that department.
He succeeds Dr. John Hall, professor and chair of the Department of Physiology and Biophysics, as associate vice chancellor for research. Hall held the position since 2005.
“Dr. Hall has led our research programs with distinction for the past eight years and we’re grateful he is taking on this role studying one of Mississippi’s greatest health challenges,” said Dr. James E. Keeton, UMMC vice chancellor for health affairs.
Photos