University of Utah Health has named Christopher M. Hull, MD, interim chair of the Department of Dermatology, the Salt Lake City–based health system announced on healthcare.utah.edu.

The appointment places Hull at the head of one of the Mountain West's most prominent academic dermatology programs at a moment of leadership transition for the department. Interim chairs at academic medical centers typically carry a dual mandate: sustain the clinical, research and training operations of the department while the institution conducts its search for a permanent successor.

University of Utah Health's dermatology department serves as a regional referral hub for the Intermountain West, drawing patients with complex medical dermatology conditions, cutaneous oncology cases and autoimmune disease from across Utah and neighboring states. The department also anchors an accredited residency program that trains the region's next generation of dermatologists.

Hull steps into the role with an established presence within the department, and his elevation to interim chair signals institutional confidence in continuity of leadership rather than a change in strategic direction. For referring physicians across the region, the practical takeaway is that clinical operations, referral pathways and residency teaching at the department proceed unchanged during the transition period.

Leadership changes of this kind carry operational weight for dermatology practices that partner with academic centers. Departments in transition must maintain clinical trial enrollment, keep multidisciplinary skin-cancer tumor boards functioning and preserve teledermatology and outreach clinic schedules that community practices rely on for complex cases.

The health system has not publicly detailed the timeline for appointing a permanent chair. Searches for academic department chairs in dermatology commonly run six months to a year, involving national candidate pools, external review committees and faculty input.

Derm Field will follow the department's leadership search and report on the permanent appointment when the university announces it.