The University of California didn’t pick a local to head UC Irvine, though it did tap one of its own.
Michael V. Drake, University of California’s vice president for health affairs, was named chancellor of UC Irvine on Thursday.
UC President Robert C. Dynes recommended Drake to the UC Board of Regents, which voted for the candidate at its regularly scheduled meeting Thursday in San Francisco. Drake is the fifth chancellor of UC Irvine.
Drake takes over July 1 from Ralph J. Cicerone, chancellor since July 1998. Cicerone is leaving to head the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C.
“(Drake) is an accomplished academic, a skillful and energetic leader, and one who understands the role that UC Irvine plays as a leading force for educational, social and economic growth in Orange County and beyond,” Dynes said in a release.
The UC Office of the President formed a 17-member chancellor search advisory committee in January to look for Cicerone’s replacement.
Drake, 54, was Dynes’ top choice for the position after the national search looked at 650 candidates. One local possibility named by observors had been UCI’s Executive Vice Chancellor Mike Gottfredson.
Drake is set to make $350,000 a year at UCI, 25% higher than Cicerone’s.
Drake was appointed UC vice president for health affairs in 2000 by UC’s Office of the President. In the position, he oversees education and research activities at UC’s 15 health sciences schools at seven campuses.
He earned his medical degree from UC San Francisco. He also holds two undergraduate degrees: an A.B. in African and African American studies from Stanford University, and a B.S. in medical sciences from UCSF.
Drake began his UC career as a medical student at UC San Francisco Medical Center in 1975. He then joined the UCSF faculty, eventually becoming an ophthalmology professor.
In 1991, Drake became assistant dean for student affairs at UCSF and later became the school’s associate dean for admissions and student programs.
From 1998 to 2000 he served as both the Stephen P. Shearing Professor and vice chair of the department of ophthalmology, and senior associate dean for admissions and extramural academic programs in the UCSF School of Medicine.
He then took on his current position in the health affairs department. The University of California system is the largest single producer of doctors in the U.S.
In 1998, Drake was elected to the National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine. He also is a trustee of the Association of Academic Health Centers.
He has published numerous articles and co-authored four books. Drake serves as a reviewer for several medical journals, including the Journal of the National Medical Association, New England Journal of Medicine, Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science and the American Journal of Ophthalmology.
Born in New York, Drake spent his childhood in Englewood, N.J., and then later moved to Sacramento with his family. He and wife, Brenda, have two sons, ages 24 and 21.
Drake’s hobbies include cycling, travel, music, track and field and stargazing.
