Desmond Schatz, M.D., has been appointed interim chair of the UF College of Medicine department of pediatrics and physician-in-chief of UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital.

Schatz, a professor of pediatrics and the current associate chair of the department, is a nationally and internationally regarded Type 1 diabetes researcher who has published more than 360 papers, the majority related to the prediction, natural history, genetics, immunopathogenesis and prevention of the disease. He will continue to serve as medical director of the UF Diabetes Institute and director of the Clinical and Translational Science Institute’s Clinical Research Center.

“Schatz has demonstrated collaborative leadership throughout his career, with a devotion to excellence and a commitment to integrity,” said Joseph A. Tyndall, M.D., M.P.H., interim dean of the UF College of Medicine. “He will guide the department of pediatrics until a national search can be convened to appoint a new leader.”

Schatz assumed the role June 20, as Scott Rivkees, M.D., began his appointment as state surgeon general and secretary of the Florida Department of Health. Rivkees, a professor of pediatrics, has led the department to significant growth across its clinical, education and research missions, and will continue to oversee his federally funded research projects at UF.