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USF Health Dean’s Claims on Marathons Raise Questions

Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.
Eric Younghans
/
The Florida Channel
Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.

Did Dr. Stephen Klasko pull his name from consideration for the position as chancellor of the University of Nebraska Medical Center due to questions about discrepancies on his resume? 

That seems to be the theory proposed by newspapers in both Tampa and Omaha.

And the issues aren't related to his education or his work experience - they appear to be over when exactly he ran a number of marathons.

The Tampa Bay Times reports, on the curriculum vitae he sent UNMC, Klasko mentioned running marathons in Chicago, New York City and Washington, D.C., in 2000, 2003 and 2005 respectively. However, on the CV posted on USF's website, the dates listed are 1997, 2000 and 2003. There's even a third version from before he came to USF with the dates listed as 1990, 1992 and 1993. There's also different dates listed for three other lesser known marathons.

While the Times says Klasko's decision to pull his name from the running came just hours after USF Health's media department received marathon-related inquiries from an Omaha World-Herald reporter, Klasko claimed the two matters are unrelated.

"I made the decision to withdraw my candidacy in Nebraska after careful consideration with my family over the weekend," Klasko said in a statement released Wednesday evening. "My decision has nothing to do with these questions about my marathon history."

"I am proud of the fact that I have run seven marathons and several half-marathons. At various times, I have included half-marathons and 10-milers on my CV when asked about my running," Klasko said in a statement. "Those many dates apparently got confused, which is unfortunate, when updating these CVs. As dean of the College of Medicine, I believe that fitness is important, and my running history shows I lead by example."

Mark Schreiner has been the producer and reporter for "University Beat" on WUSF 89.7 FM since 2001 and on WUSF TV from 2007-2017.