School of Medicine announces interim chair appointments
(SACRAMENTO)
The UC Davis School of Medicine announced two interim chair appointments, naming Joshua J. Fenton to lead the Department of Family and Community Medicine and Arta Monjazeb to lead the Department of Radiation Oncology. Both appointments are effective July 1, 2026.
Joshua Fenton appointed Department of Family and Community Medicine interim chair
Joshua J. Fenton, a professor and the vice chair of research in the Department of Family and Community Medicine, has been appointed interim chair.
Since joining UC Davis in 2006, Fenton has served with distinction as a leader and faculty mentor, significantly advancing the department’s research mission. He is a nationally recognized, federally funded researcher whose studies have addressed cancer screening, patient-physician communication and chronic pain management, with an emphasis on reducing low-value care and improving patient-centered outcomes. Fenton serves on the editorial board of the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine and contributes to the online medical reference UpToDate.
"I thank Dr. Fenton for his willingness to lead the department and ensure it continues to excel after Dr. Anthony Jerant concludes his term as chair on June 30," said Susan Murin, dean of the School of Medicine. "We are grateful to Dr. Jerant for his distinguished leadership of more than eight years as chair, after which he plans to return to the faculty."
The School of Medicine leadership team is collaborating with Vice Chancellor Rosenblatt to determine the timing of the national recruitment for the department's next chair.
Arta Monjazeb named interim chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology
Arta Monjazeb, a professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology, has been appointed interim chair of the department.
Monjazeb is an internationally recognized radiation oncologist and clinician-scientist with expertise in cancer immunotherapy. He has held and continues to hold numerous leadership roles at UC Davis Health and nationally. He served as a Cancer Center Support Grant staff investigator, co-chair of the NRG Oncology Immunotherapy Committee and served on the Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program PD-L1 Development team. Currently, he is the director of Radiation Biology and a standing member of the National Institutes of Health Therapeutic Immune Regulation study section.
Monjazeb joined the UC Davis School of Medicine in 2010 and has extensive experience leading multidisciplinary teams in clinical trials, basic science research, clinical care and education.
His robust federally funded research portfolio includes clinical and basic science research focusing on understanding how the immune system can be harnessed to fight cancer and how radiotherapy can promote anti-tumor immune responses.
"We are grateful to Dr. Monjazeb for lending his expertise to this important role," said Murin. "I also thank Dr. Richard Valicenti for his more than 17 years of service as chair, which concludes on June 30, after which he will return to the faculty."
The national recruitment for the department's next chair is underway.
