Robert Langer, M.D., MPH, has been appointed to the new position of associate dean for clinical and translational research at the University of Nevada School of Medicine.

"Under the leadership of James Kenyon, Ph.D., senior associate dean for research, Dr. Langer will help develop and advance the School of Medicine clinical research operations with a particular focus on building external grant support and improving our clinical and translational research infrastructure," said Thomas L. Schwenk, M.D., dean of the School of Medicine.

In addition, Langer will be developing mentorship programs in collaboration with the associate dean for faculty development, department chairs and senior faculty in order to advance clinical research activity across all levels of the school.

He has also been appointed as a professor of Allied Health Sciences at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, and is the principal investigator of a recently submitted five-year $20 million National Institute of Health proposal to develop clinical and translational research infrastructure across seven states in the mountain west region.

Langer graduated from the University of Illinois School of Medicine in Chicago, and completed a residency in family medicine at Overlook Hospital, an affiliate of the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. After several years in practice during which he developed one of the first commercially successful electronic health records,  Langer completed a residency in preventive medicine at the University of California at San Diego in 1988, including an MPH in epidemiology, and joined the faculty of the UC San Diego Department of Family and Preventive Medicine where he served for nearly 20 years.

Langer is a diplomat of the American Board of Preventive Medicine, and a fellow of the American College of Preventive Medicine, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the American Heart Association Scientific Councils. He has secured more than $26 million in research funding over the past 25 years and served as the principal investigator on more than 30 national and international clinical trials and observational studies, leading to more than 160 peer-reviewed publications.

Langer is an internationally recognized researcher in the prevention of chronic diseases of aging, women's health and health in minority populations. He is based at the School of Medicine's Las Vegas campus.