University of Iowa radiology head Fajardo to step down

IOWA CITY -- The embattled head of the University of Iowa Department of Radiology will step down from that position on Jan. 1, UI officials said today.

Dr. Laurie Fajardo, an expert in breast imaging who joined the UI in 2002, will remain a member of the faculty and devote more time to her research, the UI announced Friday.

Fajardo approached Dr. Paul Rothman, dean of the Carver College of Medicine, several weeks ago about her desire to step down as department chairwoman, spokesman Tom Moore said.

Fajardo is one of the UI officials named in a lawsuit filed by UI radiology professor Malik Juweid, who has been on paid leave since January for alleged disruptive behavior. Juweid charges that Fajardo called him an "academic terrorist" and called a colleague "Osama bin Laden." Fajardo also intentionally hindered Juweid's research and defamed his academic character, he alleges.

A recently completed departmental review of radiology said the department struggles with low faculty morale, communication problems and a leader widely regarded as ineffective. The review said faculty members are in "nearly uniform agreement" that Fajardo, who earns an annual salary of $501,000, is to blame for problems ranging from a declining focus on academic work to an inability to recruit and hire employees.

Asked if this leadership change is a result of that months-long review, Moore said Fajardo "approached the dean several weeks ago and asked to step down from her duties as head of the department in order to focus more time on her research. That was the reason (the dean) received."

Dr. Edmund "Tony" Franken will take over as acting department chairman. Franken is a professor emeritus and a former radiology department chairman who previously served a stint as acting head of the department, Moore said. A national search will be conducted for a new department head.