Michael J. Stamos, MD, is the Dean of the School of Medicine. During his tenure as dean of the UCI School of Medicine, the school has steadily climbed in national research stature and has received the highest accreditation possible from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME)/Association of American Medical Colleges(AAMC).
In fiscal 2024, UCI received $660 million in research awards, with more than $350 million attributed to the School of Medicine faculty. Over the past five years, the School of Medicine has averaged more than a 16% increase year over year. The school has also grown annual philanthropic fundraising from just under $25 million in 2016 to over $150 million in FY24.
UCI School of Medicine and UCI Health have come together to build a new medical complex in south Orange County, UCI Medical Center-Irvine, which began serving patients in April as parts of the new medical campus open throughout 2024-2025. The new medical center will be the first all-electric hospital in the nation, and the complex will also include a major expansion of our NCI-designated Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, the UCI Center for Children’s Health, wellness programs, urgent and emergency care, specialty disciplines, research and clinical trials, and lifesaving surgical and acute care. This advanced health and science complex will allow us to attract top talents in medicine and research and develop a pipeline of physician-scientists to add to our world-class research.
Dr. Stamos has led the School’s effort to engage its diverse population in its commitment to inclusive excellence in medical education and sustainable change. Currently, 50% of the school’s executive leadership team are women. During his deanship, two of the School’s three mission-based programs – PRIME LEAD-ABC and HEAL-IM – have started. The Leadership Education to Advance Diversity-African, Black, and Caribbean (PRIME LEAD-ABC) program is a first-of-its-kind effort aimed at producing future physicians who are committed to serving these communities. The integrative health and wellness program Health Education to Advance Leaders in Integrative Medicine (HEAL-IM) is designed to provide a future generation of physicians with additional training and skills in the tools and philosophies of integrative medicine. Finally, the Program in Medical Education for the Latino Community (PRIME-LC) is now celebrating its 20th year of education and continues to train future physicians who are committed to work with Hispanic communities throughout Orange County and beyond. In a joint effort with the UCI Samueli School of Engineering, the School of Medicine is now offering a cutting-edge medical education program called the Physician Innovator Training Program that will train a future generation of physician-engineers to tackle the world’s most complex medical issues.
Dean Stamos was born in Miami, Florida, and received his undergraduate and medical degrees from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. He completed his surgery internship and residency at the University of Miami / Jackson Memorial Medical Center in Miami, Florida, and received additional fellowship training at the Ochsner Clinic in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Dr. Stamos then moved west where he joined the UCLA faculty and worked primarily at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, California as a busy clinician and division chief for 11 years.
In 2002, he moved to UCI and in 2010, he assumed the leadership role as chair of the Department of Surgery. In 2016, he was appointed Dean of the UCI School of Medicine.
Alternate Member
Suzanne Sandmeyer, PhD
Vice Dean for Research, School of Medicine
University of California, Irvine
Suzanne Sandmeyer, PhD, is Vice Dean for Research at the University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine. In that capacity she oversees a team that works to support biomedical research development, innovation and translation into public benefits. She is committed to applying emerging technologies including stem cell technologies to improvements in the efficiency and efficacy of health care for individuals while reducing costs.
Sandmeyer first joined the UC Irvine Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics and subsequently transferred as Chair to the Department of Biological Chemistry. Her research laboratory strives to understand the genomic impact of retrovirus-like elements by probing how they utilize host functions to replicate and target integration into the host genome. In addition, her laboratory has used genomics technology to develop oleaginous yeast as a respiratory single-cell metabolic model. As Director of a UCI genomics and bioinformatics facility, she has taken an active role in promoting the accessibility of emerging genomics technologies.
Sandmeyer has served on national advisory panels, including the NCI Basic Sciences Board of Scientific Counselors, Genetics Study Section, and NIH Director’s New Innovator Award Editorial Panel. She is an elected fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Sandmeyer earned her BA degree from Carleton College and her PhD in biochemistry from the University of Washington. She trained in molecular genetics as a Damon Runyon postdoctoral fellow with Maynard Olson, PhD, at Washington University.
updated 2.25.21