# Davies tapped as priority candidate for UNMC chancellor post  
**Published:** 2026-05-06T21:42:01.000Z  
**Source:** [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/06/davies-named-priority-candidate-for-permanent-unmc-chancellor/)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://lincolne.news/article/davies-tapped-as-priority-candidate-for-unmc-chancellor-post

The University of Nebraska system announced Dr. H. Dele Davies as its "priority candidate" for permanent chancellor of the University of Nebraska Medical Center on Wednesday, according to [reporting from the Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/06/davies-named-priority-candidate-for-permanent-unmc-chancellor/). Under state law, the decision triggers a 30-day public vetting period before the NU Board of Regents can vote on his confirmation.

Davies has served as interim UNMC chancellor since July 2024, when NU President Jeffrey P. Gold assumed the system's top administrative role. The position puts Davies in charge of all campus operations, including six colleges, a graduate studies program, more than 6,000 faculty and staff, and 4,500 health professions students.

The search process began in February and was conducted internally across the University of Nebraska system, with a committee of representatives from UNMC, Nebraska Medicine, other NU campuses and the community. David Jackson, NU's chief academic officer, chaired the committee, which was assisted by [executive search firm CarterBaldwin](https://nebraska.edu/unmc-chancellor-search/).

Davies joined UNMC in 2012 as vice chancellor and dean of graduate studies. He was promoted in 2017 to senior vice chancellor, with oversight of all UNMC colleges and the health sciences library. During his tenure, he helped expand the university's rural health programs and oversaw student enrollment growth with multiple new professional degree programs.

Prior to joining UNMC, Davies served as chair of pediatrics and human development at Michigan State University from 2003 to 2012. He previously directed the Child Health Research Unit at Alberta Children's Hospital in Calgary, Canada. An expert in pediatric infectious diseases, he holds a medical degree from the University of Toronto and master's degrees in epidemiology from the University of Toronto and health care management from the Harvard School of Public Health.

NU President Gold praised Davies as "a thoughtful and strategic leader, an accomplished researcher, an incredible physician and someone I've been proud to work alongside for more than a decade." NU Regent Board Chair Paul Kenney echoed that sentiment, saying Davies "has done a wonderful job in the interim role, and I am confident he is the right person to lead UNMC in the years ahead."

The 30-day vetting period will include public sessions at UNMC's Omaha campus and visits to Lincoln, Kearney, Norfolk and Scottsbluff. The NU Board of Regents is scheduled to meet next on June 18 in Lincoln, where they could take action on Davies's candidacy.

## Sources

- [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/06/davies-named-priority-candidate-for-permanent-unmc-chancellor/)
- [University of Nebraska UNMC Chancellor Search information](https://nebraska.edu/unmc-chancellor-search/)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Nebraska Examiner, enriched with 2 web searches. The original source is available at https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/06/davies-named-priority-candidate-for-permanent-unmc-chancellor/.