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Instructure, the company that owns Canvas, has provided an FAQ about the incident, which may not answer all your questions. We will share more information if it becomes available.
Instructure, the company that owns Canvas, has provided an FAQ about the incident, which may not answer all your questions. We will share more information if it becomes available.
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Dean's Weekly Message
April 27, 2026
What an outstanding week!
We marked a milestone achievement in neurosurgery, celebrated the creation of a new endowed chair in cancer research, and honored faculty leaders at the Distinguished Clinician and Distinguished Professionalism Awards Ceremony.
Many thanks to the team in the Office of Advancement for organizing the event to honor the donor and to recognize our new endowed chair. Endowed chairs are among the most powerful tools we have to attract and retain exceptional talent.
At the awards ceremony for the Distinguished Clinicians, I remarked that all the honorees were recognized for their compassion, humility, and patient-centered approach, which builds trust and improves outcomes.
We are working hard every day to scale these traits across our entire school. These are the standard qualities for us to be Top 10!
Using AI to Study Pain Treatment
I think it is critically important that we develop our capacity to incorporate AI tools into our work because it will position us to provide better care faster.
This article in the Department of Surgery newsroom discusses recent research by Anna Malykhina, PhD, Professor of Surgery in the Division of Urology. In a recent perspective paper for the journal Frontiers in Pain Research, for which she serves as chief editor for the Section on Abdominal and Pelvic Pain, Dr. Malykhina explores how new research and tools — including AI — are beginning to make a difference.
One of the factors that makes chronic pain difficult to treat, Dr. Malykhina said, is that we usually cannot determine what triggered the pain in the first place. That’s especially true when the central nervous system gets involved, amplifying pain signals and causing neurons to respond to even small triggers.
“I wanted to write about the future of abdominal and pelvic pain research — what is important today, and what will be even more important tomorrow,” Dr. Malykhina says. “How can we adapt all these new directions in pelvic research and take it to the next level? How can we develop organoids? How can we incorporate new AI technologies in the research? What are their advantages, and what are the challenges we will face when we start using them?”
Dr. Wells Messersmith Named to Endowed Chair
I had the honor last Monday of celebrating the creation of another endowed chair in the CU Anschutz Cancer Center at a special event here on campus.
We recognized Wells Messersmith, MD, as the inaugural holder of the Emily Coe Atherton Endowed Chair in Pancreatic Cancer Research. Dr. Messersmith is Associate Director for Clinical Services at the CU Anschutz Cancer Center and Head of the Division of Medical Oncology in the Department of Medicine.
When I chose to come to CU Anschutz, I did so to work on behalf of people who are deeply committed to combining scientific rigor with compassion and discovery with patient care. Our campus has a remarkable ability to do both well, and to do them together.
Dr. Messersmith is the epitome of that belief, and it was a great privilege to be there to announce the honor. His work reflects the very best of what we strive to do at CU Anschutz: advance science, care for patients with empathy and purpose, and lead in ways that bring others along.
Dr. Messersmith’s work in personalized therapies and drug discovery for gastrointestinal cancers aligns directly with the goals of this endowed chair. His approach — matching the right treatment to the right patient — reflects where the future of cancer care must go.
CU Anschutz Cancer Center Town Hall
I was thrilled to join the CU Anschutz Cancer Center last Wednesday afternoon for a town hall to discuss our plans for future success. We have an incredibly bright future in our cancer care and research.
Our Cancer Center holds a robust lead in market share in our community and is well-funded to support cutting-edge research. We are also strengthening our clinical trials efforts so that we can continue to grow and give patients hope. The federal funding for cancer is increasing, which is promising as well.
All the good news about the high quality of our Cancer Center is helping us attract very talented candidates to become the next Executive Director. The search committee has already reviewed a long list of applicants and will begin first-round interviews this week.
Many thanks to the search committee, which is led by Cathy Bradley, PhD, Dean of the Colorado School of Public Health and Deputy Director of the CU Anschutz Cancer Center, and by Vineet Chopra, MD, MSc, Executive Vice Dean of Clinical Affairs, Research, and Quality and Chair of Medicine. I am excited to meet the committee’s recommended candidates when they visit campus in May and June.
Awards Ceremony for Distinguished Faculty
I had the privilege of joining our colleagues at an event last Thursday to honor the recipients of the Distinguished Clinician and Faculty Professionalism Awards.
Our Distinguished Faculty Professionalism Award recipients embody principles that hold our profession together: humanism, integrity, respect, accountability, and a deep commitment to community.
Our Distinguished Clinician Award recipients remind us what great medicine looks like at the bedside. They bring compassion, humility, and a patient-centered approach that builds trust and improves outcomes.
Taken together, these awardees represent the true excellence in academic medicine: clinical expertise, teaching and mentorship, integrity, and service to patients and community. For us to become a top 10 institution, these are not optional qualities. They are the standard. We must scale these traits across our entire school. Tonight, we honor those who are already living that standard and, in doing so, show the rest of us the way forward.
Distinguished Faculty Professionalism Awardees
- Mark Dell’Acqua, PhD, Professor and Vice Chair of Pharmacology and Director of the Neurotechnology Center
- Anne Fuhlbrigge, MD, MS, Professor of Medicine and Interim Senior Associate Dean for Faculty
- Jane E.B. Reusch, MD, Professor of Medicine and Associate Director of the Ludeman Family Center for Women’s Health Research
- Christopher Schneck, MD, MS, Professor of Psychiatry
Distinguished Clinician Awardees
- Rebecca Allyn, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine
- Hareklia (Harri) Brackett, MSN, APRN, CNS, Assistant Professor of Medicine
- Thomas Campbell, MD, MS, Professor of Medicine
- Stephanie Lehto, PsyD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
- Steven Lommatzsch, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine
- Stephen Scott, MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Chelsey Stillman, PA, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Featured News
Reducing Essential Tremor: CU Anschutz Doctors Perform 100th High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound
Neurosurgeons Steven Ojemann, MD, and Daniel Kramer, MD, as well as neurologist Drew Kern, MD, MS, of the multidisciplinary CU Anschutz Movement Disorders Center, recently performed the 100th high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) case at the UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital, a significant milestone in their ongoing mission to help patients through a team-based approach.“The number is a testament to the fact that we’ve been able to build a strong collaboration with the institution, with each other and other members of the treatment team, and with patients who are willing to put their trust in us,” said Dr. Ojemann, Director of Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery and Professor of Neurosurgery.
Dr. Kramer, Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery and Co-founder of the Neural Engineering Research and Design of Colorado (NERD-CO) Lab at CU Anschutz, added, “Through a dedicated team, we are able to offer cutting-edge treatments with the expertise of a well-oiled machine.”
Delivering the best care possible is what matters most to the treatment team, explained Dr. Kern, Associate Professor of Neurology, who specializes in advanced stages of movement disorders, such as essential tremor and Parkinson’s disease, that require surgical interventions.
Read More About HIFU
Faculty and Staff Updates
Kathleen Simpson, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, has been elected to the leadership of the Pediatric Heart Transplant Society. Her term as vice president began earlier this year, and she’ll become president in two years.
Rebecca Isaacson, PA-C, Instructor of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology, has been named “PA of the Year” by the Colorado Academy of PAs. The award ceremony was April 11.
Devin Miller, DrPH, Assistant Professor of Medicine, has been named Executive Director of The Care Collaborative (formerly the Peer Mentored Care Collaborative). The Care Collaborative brings together two innovative, peer mentoring programs: ECHO Colorado (Extension for Community Health Outcomes) and eConsults. Through partnership with community leaders, state agencies, and health care organizations. The Care Collaborative advances clinical care and access, research, and education through teaching and mentorship. Dr. Miller succeeds John F. “Fred” Thomas, PhD, who will retire in June after a distinguished career.
Featured Events
Dean's Distinguished Seminar Series: Mitchell A. Lazar, MD, PhD
Tuesday, May 12, 3 p.m.
Hensel Phelps West Auditorium, Research 1 North
The School of Medicine proudly presents our next speaker in the Dean's Distinguished Seminar Series, Mitchell A. Lazar, MD, PhD, Willard and Rhoda Ware Professor in Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. Lazar will present “Nuclear Receptors, Enhancers, and the Individual Predisposition to Metabolic Diseases.”
School of Medicine Hooding and Oath Ceremony
Monday, May 18, 10:15 a.m.
Boettcher Commons
The University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine Hooding & Oath Ceremony for the graduating MD class of 2026 will take place after the campus graduation ceremony.
Tattered Cover Talk
Wednesday, May 27, 6 p.m.
Tattered Cover Book Store, 2526 E. Colfax Ave.
Suzanna Kafer, PhD candidate, and Kristen Boyle, PhD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, will present “The Persistence of PFAS: How 'forever chemicals' slip into our lives, and into our cells.” The talk is free and open to the public and is part of an ongoing series offered by the Office of Research Education.
New Leader Orientation
Thursday, June 4
Anschutz Health Sciences Building
The Office for Faculty Development is hosting a full-day new leader orientation event designed for new Chairs, Vice Chairs, Division and Section Chiefs, Associate and Assistant Deans, and other newly appointed institutional leaders seeking to learn more about School of Medicine infrastructure and resources across the campus. Topics covered include research funding, relationships with outside practices, finance, faculty and staff support structures, appointments and promotions processes, philanthropy, and innovations. Register or nominate a new leader for the orientation. For questions, please contact [email protected].
Postdoc Research Day (PDRD)
Thursday, July 9Donald Elliman Conference Center, Anschutz Health Sciences Building
PDRD is an annual event that brings together members of our university community to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of postdocs at CU Anschutz, CU Denver, and affiliated hospitals. This year’s theme is “The Postdoc Collective,” focusing on cross-disciplinary thinking, collaboration, and innovation in research. This event is not just for postdocs! Graduate students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to attend. Whether you are here to support colleagues, learn something new, or network with emerging scientists, your presence makes a difference.
PDRD Registration & Abstract Submission
Lightning talk abstract deadline May 15 | Poster abstract deadline June 24
PDRD Questions?
Recent Publications
Mark Earnest, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine and Division Chief of General Internal Medicine, is author of a perspective article, “Goals of Care and the Importance of Being Polish,” published April 18 by The New England Journal of Medicine.
Enrique Soto Perez de Celis, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Medicine, is a co-author of a comment, “Time as an unmeasured ‘dose’ in oncology: introducing time budgeting as a design principle for cancer care,” published April 21 by Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology.
Josephine Harrington, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, is a co-author of a clinical outlook article, “Beyond GLP1: modulating multiple nutrient-stimulated hormone pathways to reduce cardiovascular risk,” published April 20 by Nature Reviews Cardiology.
Thomas E “Tem” Morrison, PhD, Professor of Immunology and Microbiology, is the corresponding author of a research article, “Chikungunya virus persists in joint-associated macrophages and promotes chronic disease in mice,” published April 1 by Nature Microbiology. Nine co-authors are from our campus.
Kristine M. Erlandson, MD, Professor of Medicine, is corresponding author of an article, “Pilot study of epigenetic aging and treatment response to semaglutide in the SLIM LIVER study,” published April 21 by npj Aging.
Laura D. Scherer, PhD, Associate Professor of Medicine, is corresponding author of a research letter, “Laypeople’s Perceptions of Clinician Performance Metrics Based on Cancer Screening Attendance,” published April 17 by JAMA Health Forum. Seven co-authors are from our campus.
Jason Haukoos, MD, MSc, Professor of Emergency Medicine, is a co-author of an original investigation, “Sexually Transmitted Infection Treatment Rates Among Pregnant vs Nonpregnant Patients in Emergency Departments,” published April 15 by JAMA Network Open.
Tracy L. Bale, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry, is corresponding author of an article, “Sperm sncRNA networks are synchronized by a coordination between adverse childhood experiences (ACE) and current stress,” published April 17 by Scientific Reports. Six co-authors, including C. Neill Epperson, MD, Chair of Psychiatry, are from our campus.
Julia M. Boster, MD, MSCS, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, is corresponding author of an original research article, “Relative Skeletal Muscle Mass Is Associated With Hepatic Steatosis in Adolescents With Overweight and Obesity,” published April 21 by Pediatric Obesity. Six co-authors are from our school.
Enrique Soto Perez de Celis, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Medicine, is a co-author of a comment, “Time as an unmeasured ‘dose’ in oncology: introducing time budgeting as a design principle for cancer care,” published April 21 by Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology.
Josephine Harrington, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, is a co-author of a clinical outlook article, “Beyond GLP1: modulating multiple nutrient-stimulated hormone pathways to reduce cardiovascular risk,” published April 20 by Nature Reviews Cardiology.
Thomas E “Tem” Morrison, PhD, Professor of Immunology and Microbiology, is the corresponding author of a research article, “Chikungunya virus persists in joint-associated macrophages and promotes chronic disease in mice,” published April 1 by Nature Microbiology. Nine co-authors are from our campus.
Kristine M. Erlandson, MD, Professor of Medicine, is corresponding author of an article, “Pilot study of epigenetic aging and treatment response to semaglutide in the SLIM LIVER study,” published April 21 by npj Aging.
Laura D. Scherer, PhD, Associate Professor of Medicine, is corresponding author of a research letter, “Laypeople’s Perceptions of Clinician Performance Metrics Based on Cancer Screening Attendance,” published April 17 by JAMA Health Forum. Seven co-authors are from our campus.
Jason Haukoos, MD, MSc, Professor of Emergency Medicine, is a co-author of an original investigation, “Sexually Transmitted Infection Treatment Rates Among Pregnant vs Nonpregnant Patients in Emergency Departments,” published April 15 by JAMA Network Open.
Tracy L. Bale, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry, is corresponding author of an article, “Sperm sncRNA networks are synchronized by a coordination between adverse childhood experiences (ACE) and current stress,” published April 17 by Scientific Reports. Six co-authors, including C. Neill Epperson, MD, Chair of Psychiatry, are from our campus.
Julia M. Boster, MD, MSCS, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, is corresponding author of an original research article, “Relative Skeletal Muscle Mass Is Associated With Hepatic Steatosis in Adolescents With Overweight and Obesity,” published April 21 by Pediatric Obesity. Six co-authors are from our school.
Social Spotlight
We’re proud to share that the CU Anschutz Diploma in Climate Medicine has been named the 2026 winner of the American Climate Leadership Award! Presented by EcoAmerica, this award recognizes individuals and organizations advancing effective, replicable climate solutions across the United States. Check out the full post on Instagram.
Follow CU Anschutz School of Medicine on Social Media
Announcements
Now Hiring: Chief Medical Director & Associate Dean, Medicaid Services
CU Medicine and the School of Medicine are seeking a Medical Director and Associate Dean of Medicaid Services. This position entails graduated responsibility leading CU Medicine and School of Medicine services that enable success in relationships and activities that support the patient population insured by Health First Colorado (Medicaid). This includes the CMS Supplemental Payment Program, also known as Upper Payment Limit (UPL), and engagement with external partners including Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Finance, Regional Accountable Entities, and local Health Care Alliances. The job description includes details about the position and application instructions.
Have a good week,
John H. Sampson, MD, PhD, MBA
Richard D. Krugman Endowed Chair
Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs and
Dean, University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine
The Dean’s weekly message is an email news bulletin from John H. Sampson, MD, PhD, MBA, Dean of the CU Anschutz School of Medicine, that is distributed to inform CU Anschutz School of Medicine faculty members, staff, students and others about issues pertaining to the school’s mission of education, research, clinical care and community service.
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