He’s walked the halls of Creighton and formed relationships with students and faculty. In 2007 he watched his son, Corey, graduate from the School of Medicine. He’s just a “good fit,” said Dr. Robert P. Heaney, interim Vice President for Health Sciences.
Dr. Rowen K. Zetterman became dean of the Creighton University School of Medicine on Jan. 5. Though he’s only had four weeks to acclimate himself to the new position, Zetterman has been working with Creighton students and faculty for the last 30 years.
He served as chief of staff for the Veterans Affairs Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System since 2002. During that time, he made rounds with Creighton residents. He’s also given one to two lectures a year to sophomore students, and he joined the faculty of Creighton’s Department of Internal Medicine in 1977, becoming a clinical professor of internal medicine in 1986. Zetterman says his past experiences with the medical school, including the graduation of his son and his relationship with clinical students, has given him a strong background for the position.
“It’s been a natural extension,” he said in a phone interview Monday. “And when you watch someone go through the medical school, it gives you another level of appreciation for things.”
Zetterman replaced Dr. Cam Enarson, former dean of the medical school and former Vice President of Health Sciences. He resigned from both positions last July. Heaney became acting dean until a replacement could be named.
Heaney said it typically takes a little over a year to complete the search for a new dean.
This most recent position took about five months to fill and was managed directly by University President the Rev. John P. Schlegel, S.J. Heaney said Zetterman has been “doing extremely well” and has “hit the ground running.”
Zetterman earned his medical degree from the University of Nebraska in 1969 and completed a medical internship and a residency in internal medicine, both at University Hospital, University of Nebraska College of Medicine. He served as the chief of staff for the Nebraska Health system from 1997 to 2000.
From 1998 to 2002, Zetterman served as the chief of medicine for the Omaha Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
“He is an experienced, successful manager of medical personnel, and he is a distinguished academic with international recognition and prizes in his field of expertise,” Heaney said.
Zetterman completed fellowships in gastroenterology at the University of Nebraska College of Medicine and in hepatology and nutrition at New Jersey College of Medicine at Newark. In 2008, Zetterman received the Berk/Fise Clinical Achievement Award, the highest award from the American College of Gastroenterology.
He was ACG president in 2000 and received the Alfred Stengel Memorial Award in 2007 for Outstanding Service from the American College of Physicians. This award is given by the nation’s largest medical specialty organization and recognizes loyalty and exceptional contributions to the ACP’s mission.
Zetterman said he is especially excited to work more closely with the students.
“I enjoy the opportunity to expand their education and to make them into excellent physicians,” he said. “I also have a wonderful group of people to work with.”