Fitting the bill perfectly

President Bok's announcement this week that Dr. Daniel C. Tosteson, dean of the University of Chicago Medical School, will replace Dr. Robert H. Ebert as dean of the Harvard Medical School next year followed nearly a year of a controversial search process.

Throughout the search, Med School faculty members feared they would not have enough input into the final decision to insure the appointment of a qualified dean.

Although several medical area committees advised Bok during his search, he did not submit his final choice to the Med School faculty for final approval. That omission led several members to say yesterday that while they have no quarrel with Tosteson's appointment, they still question the adequacy of Bok's consultation methods.

But Dr. Robert S. Blacklow '55, dean of academic affairs at the Med School, said yesterday that Tosteson fits the bill perfectly.

"We wanted a scholar, and he is; we wanted someone who is familiar with medicine, and he is; we wanted someone who is comfortable with administrative procedures, and who had good qualities of leadership, and he does," Blacklow said.

Tosteson comes with an impressive-looking list of accomplishments. After receiving an M.D. from the Medical School here in 1949, he taught medicine, serving as the chairman of the Duke Department of Physiology and Pharmaecology from 1961 to 1975, before he took his present position at Chicago:

Ebert, who announced his decision to resign last year, said this week he believes Bok's choice is a "superb" one, adding that he had felt it best that he avoid affecting the president's choice.

Bok was unavailable yesterday for comment, but earlier this week he said, "Because of the breadth of his experience with biomedical research, clinical medicine and national health-care needs, Dr. Tosteson was my first choice."

"Dr. Tosteson has a very genuine and long-standing interest in the broad range of issues that will confront the Medical School in the next decade, and I am delighted that he has agreed to come to Harvard," Bok said.

Tosteson has worked extensively on legislation regarding medical education, and on curriculum reform at Chicago. He created an M.D.PH.D. program there, suggesting a strong interest in basic scientific research.