Jefferson medical school dean to step down

Thomas J. Nasca, dean of Jefferson Medical College, is leaving his post in December to become chief executive officer and executive director of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, of Chicago.

Nasca said today that he was attracted to the job at the council, which sets standards for medical residency and fellowship programs, because it would allow him to have a voice in the training of all physicians.

"It's a tremendous opportunity to have an influence over the future of medical education in the United States," Nasca said.

Nasca, 58, joined Jefferson in 1992 as vice chairman of the department of medicine and became dean in 2001. He is also senior vice president for academic affairs at Thomas Jefferson University and president of Jefferson University Physicians. He is a 1975 graduate of the medical college.

He said he would not have left Jefferson to go to another medical school. "This is really a onetime opportunity," he said.

Nasca will succeed David C. Leach, who retires Sept. 30.

One of Nasca's goals is to tie residency programs' accreditation to graduates' learning and achievement during their residencies.

Jefferson, with an enrollment of 966 students, will now begin a search for a new dean, said Jacqueline Kozloski, director of public relations for Thomas Jefferson University.