UNM President David Schmidly announced Tuesday that he will be seeking medical treatment for a small abdominal tumor.
Schmidly told UNM Today that the slow-growing tumor was discovered during a routine checkup, and he will seek specialty treatment out of state.
“My physicians at the UNM Health Sciences Center and UNM Cancer Center have referred me to an out-of-state specialty surgeon to complete the medical evaluation and provide initial treatment,” Schmidly said.
Schmidly will be absent, for continuing medical treatment, from May 12 until May 15. He also said he will likely miss the May 15 graduation ceremony.
“It is very likely that I will not be able to attend this year’s graduation. That day is the culmination of all our efforts,” he said. “Let me congratulate all our students, their families and friends on this special day. I want to thank our faculty and staff for their tireless efforts in support of all our students. Janet (my wife) and I will be standing beside each of the graduates in our hearts.”
Paul Roth, executive vice president for Health Sciences and dean of the School of Medicine, said he expects Schmidly to recover completely.
President Schmidly missed several work days in September 2009 for operations and medical procedures for an undisclosed illness.
