SUBJECT:  SUMIYO E. KASTELIC RETIREMENT

With mixed emotions I want to share that Sumiyo E. Kastelic, Director of UCSD Medical Center, has let me know of her plans to retire, effective January 1, 2003. As a valued colleague and friend, she will be missed, but she has more than earned the opportunity to enjoy retirement, and so I know you will all join me in wishing her the very best.

Sumi began her hospital career as an administrative resident at UCSD Medical Center in 1975. She advanced into a staff position, moving on to become an associate director at UC Irvine Medical Center in 1980. It was our good fortune that she returned to UCSD in 1985 as a member of the administrative team, becoming Chief Operating Officer in 1990. She was named Director in 1997. She has provided tireless and insightful leadership during some of the most challenging times that the healthcare industry has ever faced, earning the respect of her colleagues at UCSD, in the community and throughout the University of California health sciences system.

Under her direction, UCSD Medical Center is operating with a strong financial margin and a solid foundation for future growth and development. Many of our clinical programs are nationally recognized, and we are a vital and respected regional resource in trauma, emergency and burn care, and in many other specialty areas that Sumi has championed over the years.

We have all come to admire Sumi as a hands-on leader who is knowledgeable, decisive and fair; experienced in virtually all of the elements of hospital operations, and open to new approaches to doing business in a constantly evolving market. Her loyalty to UCSD, our physicians and staff, and our multiple missions never wavers. She is an advocate for our patients, and has a longstanding commitment to the community and the underserved.

I don't think anybody has worked harder or been more personally involved in every aspect of hospital operations than Sumi. She has helped bring this healthcare system through some very difficult periods and will leave an organization that is well-positioned to reach even higher levels of excellence as we weather the challenges ahead. In my two years as Vice Chancellor I have come to trust her judgment, rely on her expertise, and to enjoy her unique perspective and incisive wit. We will conduct a national search for a new director, and I am confident that over the next several months Sumi and her superb management team will take steps to ensure that we have a smooth transition.

                                                Edward W. Holmes
                                                Vice Chancellor, Health Sciences
                                                Dean, School of Medicine