Updated: March 31, 2017 at 5:37 p.m.

Glenn Egelman will serve as the new associate dean of the Colonial Health Center, the University announced Monday.

Egelman, a board-certified primary care internist and physician executive and a health care consultant with experience overseeing health services at five universities, will start this Wednesday.

Officials began the search in the fall after they announced that the Colonial Health Center would rework the Mental Health Services director position and hire an executive director to oversee the entire center.

Egelman will oversee the CHC, including Medical Services, Mental Health Services and Health Promotion and Prevention Services, according to the release. Egelman received his medical degree from University of Rochester School of Medicine and has served in the campus health field for 22 years.

“Leading and coordinating this strong, renowned, student-centered program, while providing the personalized attention that the diverse and international GW campus deserves, will allow my strengths to be most beneficial to our vibrant campus community,” Egelman said in the release.

Egelman previously served as the executive director of the University of Cincinnati’s University Health Services, where he oversaw both medical and mental health services for 45,000 students. Egelman has held university health leadership roles at Bowling Green State University, Skidmore College, SUNY Stony Brook and University of Rochester.

Carol Sigelman, the chair of the department of psychology, led the search committee with support from Keeling and Associates, a firm that recruited applicants for the position. The 12-member search committee for the CHC executive director included faculty and staff from the Office of the Provost, the School of Medicine and Health Sciences and the CHC.

Sigelman said in the release that Egelman’s experience working with students made him the best candidate for the position.

“He understands the need to focus on the whole student through an integrated care model and the need to involve the whole campus community in helping students maintain the good health and mental health they need to succeed,” she said. “We are confident that he will lead the Colonial Health Center team to new heights.”

There were no updates on the search for an executive director of the Colonial Health Center last month.

Officials announced last summer that GW’s student affairs division and provost’s office launched a search for the executive director that would oversee the CHC. The new position was one of several reorganizations in a series of budget cuts announced in May.

It has been 17 months since the previous director of Mental Health Services stepped down. Silvio Weisner, the former director of MHS, left the University in September 2015 after officials found he was not licensed to practice psychology in D.C.

Provost Forrest Maltzman said in the release that the CHC director position was an “integral role” to fill and that Egelman’s leadership skills will benefit staff and students.

“Dr. Egelman’s experience and leadership style will make positive impacts as GW continues to prioritize student health and wellbeing,” he said.

Egelman served as a medical officer at the Center for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from 2013 to 2015. He also worked as director for the Office of Medical Services and in various leadership roles at the United States Peace Corps from 2008 to 2011.

Peter Konwerski, the vice provost and dean of student affairs, said in the release that his background and experience in higher education will be beneficial to the University and the Division of Student Affairs leadership.

“Dr. Egelman’s impressive background in collegiate health and well-being, from his leadership roles in higher education, in the public sector, and through his higher education consulting, will be an asset to our student community,” Konwerski said.

The CHC is hosting an opportunity for students and faculty to meet Egelman Friday from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. in the center.

This post was updated to reflect the following correction:
The Hatchet incorrectly spelled Egelman as Engelman in the original headline. We regret this error.