Robert E. Chason, chief operating officer of UC Davis Medical Center and "architect" of the hospital's cost-reduction program, will step up as interim director of hospital and clinics until a permanent director is named. In making the interim appointment, UC Davis provost and executive vice chancellor Robert D. Grey said "Chancellor Vanderhoef and I are very grateful to Bob for his willingness to assume this important responsibility. The university is fortunate to have someone with his experience, ability and dedication to guide UC Davis Medical Center while the search for a new director is underway. "There is also a first-rate management team in place at the medical center and they, together with Bob, will ensure that the medical center continues to flourish during this transition period." Frank Loge, director of hospital and clinics at UC Davis since 1984, announced July 22 that he will step down from that post Dec. 1. Chason's interim appointment as director begins Dec. 1. Since 1994 Chason has directed day-to-day operations of the medical center with lead responsibility for patient care services, information services, human resources, administrative and professional services, ambulatory care, professional fee billing and purchasing. He initiated an aggressive cost-reduction program, trimming a total of more than $75 million over four years from the hospital's operating budget. Chason's efforts to strengthen relationships with other hospitals -- especially those in rural areas of the state -- resulted in the development of the Consortium of Independent Northern California Hospitals, an expansion of UC Davis's top-ranked telemedicine program, and collaborative agreements between UC Davis and St. Joseph's Health System in Stockton. Chason is leading efforts to establish a jointly operated cancer center with Mercy Hospital in Merced, approved by the UC Regents last month. He also assisted in the start-up of the medical center's primary care network, which today encompasses 150 physicians practicing in 18 Northern California communities. As chair of the information services oversight committee for UC Davis Health System, Chason is directing the development and implementation of the health system's first strategic plan for information and communication technology. Chason currently is president of the Sacramento-Sierra hospital conference, a member of the board of directors of the Northern California/Northern Nevada Arthritis Foundation, and active in a number of education and community organizations. He earned a bachelor's degree from Wilmington College in 1965 and a Master of education degree from Miami University in 1967. Before joining UC Davis in 1979, he spent 12 years at the State University of New York at Stony Brook where he held several positions including assistant vice president for business administration and business manager. At UC Davis he was associate vice chancellor for student affairs before joining the medical center as chief operating officer in 1994.