By Anne Halliwell

[email protected]

Provost Christine Riordan announced Wednesday that Scott Lephart, a professor and chair at the University of Pittsburgh, will take over as dean of the UK College of Health Sciences in March 2015.

Pending board approval, Lephart has accepted the university’s offer, according to Riordan’s email announcement. He has worked in University of Pittsburgh’s faculty for 27 years and has conducted grant-funded research on human movement and performance.

“In terms of what we were looking for in a dean, we were looking for someone who could move us to the next level in terms of research and academic programs,” said interim dean and professor in the College of Health Sciences Sharon Stewart. “He brings with him a wealth of experience.”

Lephart is currently the director of the University of Pittsburgh Neuromuscular Research Laboratory, the applied research center for the Department of Sports Medicine and Nutrition, according to his staff bio.

As dean, Lephart will be responsible for the college’s academic programs and research, Stewart said. His background in athletic training, one of the eight major areas covered by health sciences, makes him a good fit as well, she added.

Stewart took over as interim director in August of 2011. She was the associate dean previously.

Riordan touted her three-year stint as interim director in the announcement email.

“The plan right now is that Dr. Lephart and I will be having some conversations … we’ll be talking together about the college and how he would like me to proceed in his absence,” Stewart said.

Some of Stewart’s focus will also be on setting up ways to transition leadership of the college next year, she said.

Lephart is also a professor in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh. His research interests lie mostly in the areas of sport and exercise injury prevention, according to his bio.

According to Riordan’s email, Lephart received recommendations from the position’s search committee and people within the College of Health Sciences when he visited UK.

“The college is really pleased with having him join us,” Stewart said. “We’re excited about what’s next.”