GALVESTON — William R. Elger has been appointed executive vice president and chief business and finance officer at the University of Texas Medical Branch.

Elger, who will begin his duties March 1, will be responsible for several departments, including human resources, business development and marketing, information services, facilities and finance.

In this newly created position reporting directly to Dr. David L. Callender, UTMB president, Elger will be responsible for UTMB’s financial and business performance.

“Bill Elger is nationally known and respected for his work at Michigan and Arizona,” Callender said. “We are excited that he’ll be joining UTMB. “The skills, experience and perspective he brings to this new position will help our university face the many challenges and opportunities that lay ahead.”

Elger comes to UTMB from the University of Arizona College of Medicine, where he was senior associate dean for administration and finance. At the University of Michigan Medical School, he was executive director for administration and chief financial officer.

At Michigan, Elger developed financial-management tools that were adopted by other medical schools. He is the author of “Managing Resources in a Better Way: A New Financial Management Approach for the University of Michigan Medical School,” which appeared in the April 2006 edition of Academic Medicine.

Elger is a certified public accountant and graduate of the University of Illinois-Chicago.