Magazine - Eastern Virginia Medical School

Dean Gerald J. Pepe, right, and President Harry T. Lester have won widespread praise for their congenial relationship and numerousaccomplishments over the last few years such as building strategic partnerships and expanding research in line with community needs.Those who work with him depict Pepe as a modest man with agenerous sense of humor, a knack for interacting with others anda relentless drive to see the school reach its full potential.“I find Dr. Pepe to be extremely approachable and a very goodthought partner,” says Mary Blunt, who as corporate vice presidentand administrator of Sentara Norfolk General Hospital meets withPepe regularly.“He’s rock-solid — a powerhouse,” Lester says. “He’s well-liked,well-respected and just goes about his business of running the school. Hefixes what’s not working right. He’s low-key, quietly making significantchanges that improve the school.”Longtime peers say those traits have been a hallmark of Pepe’scareer — even from his early days at the National Institutes of Health.“He’s able to see the big picture, and I think that, along with hisaffability, makes for a perfect, strong administrator,” says EugeneAlbrecht, PhD, a friend and research colleague for more than 30 years.Campus leaders whose tenure predates Pepe’s appointment as deansay his leadership has helped build a spirit of camaraderie among thefaculty and served as a catalyst for creating a clear direction forEVMS’ future.“His transparency and his open-door management style havebrought about a unity that had been lacking among the faculty,” saysAlfred Z. Abuhamad, MD, associate dean for clinical affairs and chair ofthe Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. “For the first time, wehave a clear vision.”Squarely in that vision is greater emphasis on continuing EVMS’evolution into a prominent academic medical center. Early in his career,Pepe was a researcher at the NIH. Since his arrival at EVMS in 1978,Pepe has continued his research work with continuous support from theNIH — the gold standard for medical research and among the mostdifficult flows of funding to tap.His commitment to research served as a guiding influence as Pepeinherited the responsibility of developing similar potential on campus.And it has formed the foundation of his growing reputation as “theresearch dean.”“Research distinguishes the institution,” Pepe says. “Why do peoplethink they have a better chance of surviving if they go to the MayoClinic or Johns Hopkins? Because that’s where they’re doing research.That’s where they have the opportunity to be seen by the top physiciansin the country.”26WINTER 2009 WWW.EVMS.EDU DEAN PEPE