Toby Walters, a registered nurse in both New York and Massachusetts, has been chosen as the new co-director of the Health Center six months after the resignation of Kathleen Maloney, the Health Center's former nursing director and co-administrator. Dean of Student Life Rick Sawyer, who announced Walters' selection in a campuswide e-mail last Friday, wrote in the e-mail that Walters will start her new position Feb. 8.

"[Walters] has had broad clinical, administrative, and public health experience over her career and has worked with young adults in her previous settings," wrote Health Center Medical Director Dr. Debra Poaster in an e-mail to the Justice.

Poaster has been filling some of Maloney's responsibilities, including attending meetings and spending time in the Health Center.

Walters could not be reached for comment by press time.

Walters will "serve as the operations manager in the Health Center and will be the chief liaison between the Health Center and many communities within the University," wrote Dr. Poaster.

Maloney retired in August after working at the Health Center for 11 years.

The Justice reported Oct. 6 that the University expected to hire a new director in August, but interviews with candidates were postponed due to scheduling difficulties.

Beth Israel Deaconness Medical Center, which operates the Health Center, worked with the University to choose Walters, the "only qualified candidate to be interview[ed] by Brandeis," wrote Chair of the Student Health Advisory Committee Jordan Caruso '11 in an e-mail to the Justice.

"[The members of the Student Health Advisory Committee] thought [Walters] was very qualified and open to student input about the health center," Caruso wrote in his e-mail.

Other members of the Student Health Advisory Committee who were involved in the selection process were Student Union Treasurer Daniel Acheampong '11, Brandeis Emergency Medical Corps' Director of Operations Daniel Litwok '10, Julia Rabkin '11 and Alexandra Kriss '11.

"[The Student Health Advisory Committee] were kept in the loop on the search for candidates by [Sawyer]. When Beth Israel found a suitable candidate for interview, [Student Union President Andy Hogan] emailed myself and [Rabkin] and asked if we could meet with [Walters]. After meeting with her, [Hogan] and later [Sawyer] asked me to write up an opinion of what the Committee thought of [Walters] (we were in favor of hiring her)," Caruso wrote in his e-mail.