To bring City of Hope in line with peer institutions nationwide, leadership has reversed division and department names in both clinical and research areas. Entities that were formerly departments are now divisions; the former divisions are now departments.

“This new terminology makes City of Hope department and division titles consistent with most other academic research centers around the country,” explained Richard Jove, Ph.D, Beckman Research Institute director. “Importantly, this change will not in any way change the roles of the respective leaders and members of departments and divisions.”

Alexandra M. Levine, M.D., chief medical officer, noted that the change simply exchanges the names of the departments and divisions. “This reversal of titles means that overarching departments now oversee divisions. For example, the former Department of Cardiology is now a division that resides within the Department of Medical Subspecialties,” Levine said.

Leadership titles also have evolved. In clinical departments, former division chairs are now called department chairs, and the former department directors are now called division chiefs. Similarly, in Beckman Research Institute, former department
directors are now division directors.

Over the coming weeks, these new department and division titles will be updated in administrative documents such as organizational bylaws, rules and regulations, and policies and procedures, as well as on the intranet and Internet. Faculty and staff should use these updated titles when developing new materials. However, it is unnecessary to reprint materials such as letterhead or business cards until they need to be reordered.

“We realize that it will take some time before the new department and division names and new leadership titles are fully incorporated into City of Hope,” Levine said. “Other than the title changes, the reporting relationships are unchanged and remain exactly as they were before.”