Steven G. Gabbe, M.D.

Gabbe chaired the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Ohio State from 1987 to 1996. He held a similar position at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle for three years before becoming dean at Vanderbilt in 2001.

At Vanderbilt, Gabbe increased National Institutes of Health grant funding by 77 percent and he increased faculty size by 66 percent, to more than 1,800.

In making the appointment, Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee said he has always been impressed with Gabbe’s vision and leadership style.

"Steve and I became acquainted when we were both at Ohio State, and I always felt the university was very fortunate to have him. Our paths joined again at Vanderbilt and for seven years I watched him take a very good and respected school of medicine to a level of prestige and success that impressed people around the country,” said Gee.

Gabbe, who also has leadership roles with the Association of American Medical Colleges and National Institutes of Health, has committed to the senior vice presidency for four years, at which time he will become counselor to the president for health affairs.

“Steve has agreed to return to Ohio State to help us during a very critical period,” said Gee. “He will work alongside Chip Souba who continued to advance the medical center’s missions during the past several months as interim CEO. The two of them will make a great team and by working together with the other university leaders will assure continued success of the medical center.”

Dr. Wiley “Chip” Souba will continue as dean of the College of Medicine and become vice president of health sciences in recognition of his current and increased responsibilities with the master academic and space plan. Souba also remains executive dean for Health Sciences.

Gee said Souba has proven to be a real asset to the Medical Center since he stepped in after the departure of Dr. Fred Sanfilippo last year.

It is critical that an enterprise like our medical center have in place a succession plan as part of its leadership vision,” said Gee. “In four years, Chip will move into the position that Steve will be vacating, and there will be no break in stride. There is just too much at stake to leave anything to chance.”

Gabbe, who expects to start July 1, will be arriving at Ohio State’s medical center as plans are progressing for its largest physical expansion project. The massive medical center expansion project will position Ohio State to become a top-20 academic medical center through advancements in research, education and patient care. The project, the largest in the university’s history and estimated to cost more than $1 billion, is expected to be completed by 2016.

“We have a great amount of positive momentum in our medical center and Steve is the right person to make certain we stay on course as one university,” added Gee.

Gabbe has made his mark on academic medicine as an educator, physician and researcher. He is one of the world’s leading experts on the complications of diabetes and pregnancy and the author of more than 160 peer-reviewed papers.

From 1978 to 1987 he was on the faculty in the department of obstetrics, gynecology and pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and was director of the division of fetal medicine.

In 1987 he was recruited to chair the department of obstetrics and gynecology at The Ohio State University Medical Center and left in 1996 to become chair of the department of obstetrics & gynecology at the University of Washington Medical Center. He became dean at Vanderbilt in 2001.

Gabbe received his medical degree from Cornell University Medical College and completed his residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Boston Hospital for Women and a clinical fellowship in obstetrics and gynecology at Harvard Medical School.