Texas A&M University has appointed Dr. Roderic Pettigrew as Vice Chancellor for Strategic Health Initiatives, effective June 1. This new role recognizes Pettigrew’s esteemed status among the institution’s flagship scholars, who have led to a significant increase in the number of faculty members who are members of elite National Academies in engineering, science, and medicine over the past 12 years.
Pettigrew will transition from his current role as Executive Dean of the School of Engineering Medicine (EnMed) at Texas A&M University to focus on expanding the System’s health science research portfolio and attracting top scholars to join the institution. Under his leadership, the System has grown its National Academy membership from 11 to 58, and he is expected to further enhance these efforts in his new role.
Pettigrew holds a Ph.D. and an MD and is a member of the National Academy of Medicine, National Academy of Engineering, and the National Academy of Inventors. He joined Texas A&M in 2017 with support from CRI and GURI funds, where he launched EnMed – a unique program that offers students both a medical degree and a master’s in engineering focused on medical technology at the Texas Medical Center in Houston.
In his new role as Vice Chancellor, Pettigrew will represent Texas A&M on a national and international level within medical and academic organizations, promoting EnMed’s innovative integrated engineering medicine curriculum. While assuming his new responsibilities, he will continue to serve as dean of EnMed until an interim is named while remaining on the faculty.