Dr. Greg Postel: man of few published words

by Terry Meiners

Should a man with a skimpy resume serve as the next president of the University of Louisville? Dr. Greg Postel is UofL’s interim president and is working hard to make it his official title. The university’s board of trustees will ultimately decide if Dr. Postel, a radiologist, has a presidential level body of work.

People seem to like his administrative direction and I’m told he’s got people skills but what about his paperwork? Dr. Postel’s list of published manuscripts is on the thin side when compared to other academicians like former Presidents Dr. James Ramsey, Dr. Neville Pinto, and Dr. Postel’s former UofL boss Dr. David Dunn.

After 23 years at UofL, Postel cites just 19 published manuscripts in his scant seven page curriculum vitae.

But we learn he was once a guest on a local radio show (transcript not available).

Seriously, where is the voluminous research and analysis that most university president eggheads tirelessly churn out to pull higher education forward?

By comparison, former University of Louisville interim President Pinto’s 26 page resume lists 87 published manuscripts, book chapters, and conference proceedings in his specialty of engineering. Pinto also lists 122 research presentations to Postel’s one (principle investigator for an imaging technology).

Financial specialist (irony noted) Dr. Jim Ramsey’s resume lists more than 60 authored or co-authored articles, book chapters, and proceedings in refereed publications.

Rick Pitino, Dr. Greg Postel, and Tom Jurich meet with the media after receiving harsh NCAA penalties.

For medical comparison with Dr. Postel, check the accomplishments of his predecessor Dr. David Dunn, the former executive vice president of health affairs for UofL. Dunn has been published 322 times, two-thirds of the manuscripts in refereed (peer-reviewed) publications. He’s co-authored two medical books and published 83 book chapters.

Dunn was dry docked by Dr. James Ramsey in 2015 when questions arose about whether federal research money was misused by Dunn and two associates. After an investigation, the U.S. attorney decided not to pursue the case and Dunn was given a $1.15 million settlement to leave UofL. Dr. Postel then popped up the chain as Dunn’s successor.

So Dr. Dunn, formerly in a pseudo second-in-command position at UofL, lists about fifteen times more peer-reviewed authorship than presidential hopeful Dr. Postel.

Dunn’s prolific published manuscript work indicates the UofL board of trustees should demand more from Dr. Postel or any candidate who wants to be the actual president of the university. Make Dr. Dunn’s portfolio a measuring device.

Peer-reviewed and approved research matters. Unless his resume was edited with humility in mind, Dr. Postel is clearly a research underachiever and not yet ready to earn the presidency of the University of Louisville.

College presidents don’t pop up like Pez candies just because they’re next in line. Character, intellect, work ethic, and a boundless curiosity for academic research are the first four checkpoints for considering a potential university president. As of today, Dr. Greg Postel does not match the criterion.

Pez. You never know what will pop up next.

SEE: PATHWAYS TO THE PRESIDENCY
a report by Deloitte’s Center for Higher Education Excellence

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Dr. Greg Postel’s refereed publications from his May 2, 2016 vitae (still published as is on August 1, 2017)

PUBLICATIONS PEER-REVIEWED
1. Postel, G.C., Peet, V.B.: The Role of Amino Acid Crystal Formation in Carcinogenesis. The College of Wooster Physical Chemistry Thesis. 1984.
2. Aaron, J.O., Postel, G.C., Shields, R.E., Garr, E., Hourigan, J.: A Fatal Illness Presenting as an S 1 Radiculopathy: Vascular Causes of Lumbar Radicular Pain. Journal of the Kentucky Medical Association. 95:7. July, 1997.
3. Huang, T.Y., Sileo, D.R., Huang, J.T., Postel, G.C., Abaskaron, M., Aaron, J.O.: MR imaging of acute transverse myelitis. Journal of Kentucky Medical Association. 97(4):165-167. April, 1999.
4. Huang, T.Y., Huang, J.T., Yam, L.T., Postel, G.C., Abaskaron, M.: Computed Tomography Guidance in Bone Marrow Aspiration for Diagnosis of Marrow Necrosis and Metastasis. Journal of Kentucky Medical Association. 97(7):299-302. July, 1999.
5. Huang, T.Y., Shields, R.E., Huang, J.T., Postel, G.C., Abaskaron, M.: Scrotal Herniation of the Bladder Secondary to Prostate Enlargement. The Journal of Urology. 162:448-489. August, 1999.
6. Reisner, A., Marshall, G.S., Bryant, K., Postel, G.C., Eberly, S.M.: Endovascular Occlusion of a Carotid Pseudoaneurysm Complicating Deep Neck Space Infection in a Child. Journal of Neurosurgery. 91:510- 514. September, 1999.
7. Postel, G.C.: Evaluation of Arterial Supply to the Spinal Cord: Different Approaches in Different Settings. Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia. 13(5):519-520. October, 1999.
8. Caruso, R.D., Postel, G.C., McDonald, C.S., Sherry, R.G.: High signal on T1-weighted MR images of the head: A pictorial essay. Journal of Clinical Imaging. 25:312-319. 2001.
9. Caruso, R.D., Postel, G.C., McDonald, C.S., Aronson, B.A., Christensen, J.D.: Software annotated digitally photographed and printed MR images: Suitability for publication. Academic Radiology. 9:346-351. March, 2002.
Gregory C. Postel, M.D., May 2, 2016 Page 7 of 7
10. Gharib, A., Postel, G.C., Mirza, S., Mann, F.A.: A thoracic spine translation injury with lateral facet dislocation. American Journal of Roentgenology. 178(6):1450. June, 2002.
11. Caruso, R.D., Postel, G.C.: Image editing with Adobe Photoshop 6.0. Radiographics. 22:993-1002. 2002.
12. Caruso, R.D., Postel, G.C.: Image Annotation with Adobe Photoshop. Journal of Digital Imaging. 15(4):197-202. December, 2002.
13. Postel, G.C.: The obligation to communicate. American Journal of Surgery. 187(2):155-156. February, 2004.
14. Casanova, M.F., Christensen, J.D., Giedd, J., Rumsey, J.M., Garver, D.L., Postel, G.C.: Magnetic resonance imaging study of brain asymmetries in dyslexic patients. Journal of Child Neurology. 20(10):842-847, October, 2005.
15. Huang, T., Civelek, A.C., Li, J., Jiang, H., Ng, C.K., Postel, G.C., Shen, B., Li, X.: Tumor Microenvironment- Dependent F-FDG, F-Fluorothymidine, and F-Misonidazole Uptake: A Pilot Study in Mouse Models of Human Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. Journal of Nuclear Medicine. 53(8):1262-1268. August, 2012.
16. Huang, T., Civelek, A.C., Zheng, H., Ng, C.K., Duan, X., Li, J., Postel, G.C., Shen, B., Li, X.F.: 18F- misonidazole PET imaging hypoxia in micrometastases and macroscopic xenografts of human non-small cell lung cancer: Correlating with autoradiographic and histological findings. Am J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 3(2):142-153. 2013.
17. Li, X.F., Huang, T., Wang, X., Shen, B., Wang, X., Ng, C.K., Postel, G.C., Civelek, A.C.: Combined Injection of (18)F-Fluorodeoxyglucose and 3’-Deoxy-3’[(18)F]fluorothymidine PET Achieves More Complete Identification of Viable Lung Cancer Cells in Mice and Patients then Individual Radiopharmaceutical: A Proof-of-Concept Study. Transl Oncol. 6(6):775-83. December 1, 2013.
18. Billeter, A.T., Miller, F.B., Harbrecht, B.G., Bowen, W., Stephens, M.J., Postel, G.C., Smith, J.W., Penta, M., Coleman, R., Franklin, G.A., Trunkey, D.D., Polk, H.C. Jr. Am J Surg. 207(4):459-66. April, 2014.