The Ohio State University Board of Trustees recently appointed Dr. Larry James Copeland as chairman of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at OSU’s College of Medicine and Public Health.Copeland, 49, has been selected to oversee all divisions of that department.Since 1988, Copeland has been director of the gynecologic oncology division at the College of Medicine and Public Health, a unit that deals with malignant tumors. He has conducted research in chemotherapy of gynecologic tumors for his academic text entitled “Textbook of Gynecology.”Copeland has guided the division with superb knowledge and leadership capabilities, said Bernadine Healy, dean of the College of Medicine and Public Health.”He has built one of the leading gynecologic oncology divisions in the nation,” Healy said. “He has also delivered great medical care to numerous women in our community.” Copeland is very enthusiastic about his new position and said it offers new challenges for administrative responsibilities.”I will be responsible for the success of my faculty members and will assist them in achieving their academic goals,” Copeland said. “This is a time of opportunity.”Copeland said his department currently has many responsibilities because of the increasing importance of managed care, particularly in controlling costs.”It is important that patients are getting the best for their dollar,” Copeland said. “A lot of exciting things can be done right now.”Ronald St. Pierre, vice dean of the College of Medicine and Public Health, said he is confident that Copeland will continue the excellent reputation of the department. “He is one of the best people in the field and we feel very fortunate to have been able to name him as chairman to our department,” St. Pierre said.Copeland earned a doctorate in medicine in 1973 at The University of Western Ontario. After completing postgraduate training in 1979, he was named assistant professor of gynecology at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. He served as associate professor of gynecology at M.D. Anderson from 1984 until he came to OSU in 1988.Copeland is a fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, American College of Surgeons and The Royal College of Surgeons in Canada, and is a member of the oncology division of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology.