Lebanon
Israel will “continue to be a tenured faculty member at (Dartmouth College’s) Geisel (School of Medicine) and will assist in the transition of new leadership for the Cancer Center,” college spokesman Justin Anderson said in an email.
Israel could not be reached for comment on Thursday.
An email sent out early Wednesday morning, signed by Geisel Interim Dean Duane Compton and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Chief Academic Officer John Birkmeyer, thanked Israel “for his strong leadership … for the last 14 years.”
The email also noted the agreement of Chris Amos, the chairman of Geisel’s biomedical data science department, to serve as interim director starting on Oct. 1, and the engagement of Spencer Stuart, a consulting firm, to conduct a national search for a new director.
But the email, which was sent out eight days before the beginning of the Prouty, the cancer center’s main annual fundraising event, did not describe the circumstances or reasons for Israel’s departure from the helm.
The 2015 Prouty raised more than $3.3 million, according to its website.
D-H spokesman Rick Adams referred questions about Israel’s departure to college representatives.
Israel “approached the dean’s office in early 2016 to discuss (a) transition from the role of director,” Anderson said. “The dean’s office and leadership worked with him to develop a timeline for the transition.”
Anderson declined to discuss what prompted Israel to seek a change in his role: “I can’t speak to his motivation.”
Rick Jurgens can be reached at rjurgens@vnews.com or 603-727-3229.