After serving as the vice president for medical affairs since 2007, the University of Iowa announced Sept. 30 Jean Robillard would step down from his position.

“Both the academic and the clinical side [of UI Health Care] are doing well, and I think this is the right time to recruit the next leader,” Robillard said. “I’m 72 years old, and what I wanted to do is leave the organization in a better shape than when I took it and leave it at the top.”

In the 2015 fiscal year, Robillard’s salary totaled $842,573, according to a Des Moines Register database.

Robillard said UI President Bruce Harreld asked him to stay in the position until a replacement can be found.

The UI will conduct a national search for Robillard’s replacement, said UI spokesman Tom Moore. The UI will announce a search committee within the next few weeks, Moore said, and once it is formed, the panel will meet with Harreld to discuss criteria for the position.

“The position should be very attractive,” Moore said. “The University of Iowa is considered one of the leading health-care enterprises in the country, so clearly we’re hoping for someone who will … build upon that record of success.”

Once the UI finds a new leader for UI Health Care, Robillard will stay with the UI as a faculty member, though he said he is not sure what he will do next.

Robillard highlighted the dedication of students, faculty, and others connected with the organization as one of the joys of working in his current position.

“I feel privileged to serve an organization like this,” he said. “People are just so dedicated, so passionate about what they do … The support that I’ve been getting from the central administration has also been outstanding.”