Dean's Weekly Message
August 10, 2026
Dr. Ken Tyler Stepping Down as Chair of Neurology
Ken Tyler, MD, Chair of Neurology, has announced that he will step down effective September 1, concluding a remarkable 16 years in the role.
Dr. Tyler has led the department during an extensive period of clinical growth. Among the achievements:
- In FY09, the department had just over 8,000 annual clinic visits at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital. The department faculty now provide more than 65,000 clinic visits.
- Clinical charges in FY09 were less than $8 million and the associated clinical collections just over $3 million; in FY26 these numbers exceeded $57 million in charges and $18.5 million in collections.
- Virtual visits have gone from non-existent before the COVID-19 pandemic to now encompassing about 30% of Neurology outpatient activities, amounting to more than 18,000 virtual visits yearly.
The department’s commitment to education has also been significant. At the beginning of Dr. Tyler’s tenure, the department had 15 residents and three fellows. Now, the department is responsible for the training of 40 residents and 15-20 fellows per year and teaching neurology and neuroscience across the four-year continuum of medical school.
As Dr. Tyler notes in a message he sent to his faculty last week, “Our trainees are our longest lasting legacy,” expressing his pride in the dozen PhD students, 16 postdoctoral Research Fellows, and 14 Neuroinfectious Disease Fellows he personally has trained and mentored. Two of his former research fellows now serve as Division Chiefs of Infectious Disease Divisions at Children’s National Medical Center and at Southwestern Medical Center.
The department’s research program has also grown considerably and now regularly exceeds $20 million per year. When Dr. Tyler first arrived at CU there were no clinical research studies in Neurology, and the department has now transformed into one of the leading research entities in the School of Medicine with more than 360 studies and more than 5,000 study visits in 2025.
One of the ways you can measure a leader’s success is by the quality of the team they build around them. Dr. Tyler has recruited an incredibly strong group of clinical leaders, vice chairs, section chiefs, researchers, educators, and staff to the department. I’m pleased to announce a key member of that team, Victoria Pelak, MD, Charles Elliot Morris Professor of Neurology and Executive Vice Chair and Vice Chair of Faculty Affairs, has agreed to serve as interim chair while we conduct a national search for Dr. Tyler’s successor.
Please join me in congratulating Dr. Tyler on a distinguished tenure as Chair of Neurology and thank him for his service. We are fortunate that he will continue to be representing the School of Medicine through his laboratory research program, his clinical and research-related VA roles, and his role as Editor-in-Chief of Annals of Neurology.
Family Medicine Residency Ranked No. 1
The University of Colorado Family Medicine Residency has been ranked No. 1 in the nation for reputation among Family Medicine residency programs, according to Doximity's latest Residency Navigator report.
The ranking, reported on July 23 in Becker’s Hospital Review, places our Family Medicine Residency at the top of Family Medicine programs nationwide based on physician nominations collected through Doximity's reputation surveys. The report evaluates residency programs across multiple specialties using measures that include reputation and research output.
“This recognition reflects the incredible residency we have built here,” said Corey Lyon, DO, Program Director of the CU Family Medicine Residency Program and Professor of Family Medicine. “Receiving this level of recognition means the hard work of our faculty, residents and, most importantly, the work and service our graduates are doing is being recognized.”
Doximity's Residency Navigator includes more than 4,000 U.S. residency programs across 26 specialties. Reputation rankings are based on three years of nomination surveys completed by board-certified physicians within each specialty. Research output rankings are derived from alumni publications, h-index scores, grant funding, and clinical trial participation over the previous decade, with programs compared against others in the same field.
U.S. News Rankings of Hospitals Released
U.S. News and World Report released its rankings of the nation’s hospitals last Tuesday. Three UCHealth hospitals are among the best in Colorado. UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital, located on the University of Colorado Anschutz campus, is ranked No. 2 in Colorado. UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland is tied for No. 3 and is the top performing hospital in northern Colorado. UCHealth Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs is ranked No. 6 and is the top performing hospital in southern Colorado.
U.S. News also announced that University of Colorado Hospital earned national rankings in three adult specialties: pulmonology and lung surgery, in partnership with National Jewish Health; rheumatology; and cancer. UCH is also the only hospital in Colorado to be nationally ranked in multiple specialties.
In addition, Newsweek released their rankings that show UCH is nationally ranked in all seven of the specialties they follow, and the Lown Institute announced that UCHealth is one of the best systems in the nation for social responsibility.
Together, we’ve made continual improvements in the Vizient measures for quality in recent years, and we are continuing to rise in those measures. Vizient is our “true North” because it measures what really matters — excellence in care for our patients.
We remain focused on working with UCHealth to provide the best care across the state and nation. This is reflected in our continued improvements in Vizient rankings compared to other comprehensive academic medical centers. We have been dedicated to full-scale efforts that will improve quality and outcomes, and we will continue to emphasize our work there.
“Our teams care for patients and families during some of the most challenging moments of their lives,” said Tom Gronow, EdD, MHA, President and CEO of University of Colorado Hospital, in the UCHealth announcement. “Their skills, compassion, and commitment help patients navigate complex diagnoses and access the latest treatments. This recognition reflects the dedication of everyone who works together on behalf of every patient we serve.”
I want to thank everyone for their continual effort to improve quality and outcomes at University of Colorado Hospital and throughout the UCHealth system. We are making great progress, and I expect we will see those measures tracked by Vizient continue to improve.
Colorado’s Top Doctors
Denver magazine 5280 has released its 2026 list of Top Doctors, and CU Anschutz School of Medicine faculty continue to dominate the list of Colorado's leading physicians.
With more than 660 faculty members in more than 70 medical specialties, School of Medicine faculty members account for nearly 50% of all physicians recognized on the list compiled by the magazine in partnership with Castle Connolly.
The recognition underscores CU Anschutz's role as the Rocky Mountain region’s only academic medical campus and a global leader in health sciences research, ranking among the world's top hospitals in health sciences.
The list of our faculty is posted in the School of Medicine newsroom. The campus newsroom also has an article that features some of our faculty members on the list.
Lown Institute Rankings of Top Academic Medical Centers
Denver Health Main Campus was ranked No. 18 on the Lown Institute’s 2026 list of the top academic medical centers in the nation, which was published August 4. UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital was ranked No. 43 on the list.
The academic medical center ranking pulls from the same dataset behind the full 2026 Lown Hospitals Index, which evaluated 2,718 acute care hospitals; 900 critical access hospitals; and 331 health systems using publicly available data, including Medicare claims, CMS quality and cost datasets, and IRS Form 990 filings, among other sources.
Overall, 215 academic medical centers were ranked nationally, and 95 earned an “A” grade. To qualify for the Honor Roll, organizations had to receive “A” grades in equity, value, and outcomes.
Celebrating National Health Center Week
To commemorate National Health Center Week 2026, Denver Health looks back at the start of the community health center movement in this excellent video.
The Bernard F. Gipson Sr. Eastside Family Health Center, opened in 1966, was among the first community health centers in the U.S. Denver Health is now the 5th largest community health center system in the country, with 11 community health centers, 19 school-based health centers, and many more clinics that make care accessible to patients where they live.
As longtime patient Jean Thompson said of her experience at the Eastside clinic, “You’re not a number or a disease; you're like a family member.” Take a moment and watch the video and celebrate the good work of caring for our community.
Featured News
New Documentary Features Pediatric Neuro-Gastroenterologist's Passion for Art and Science
A new film, called “A Tale of Two Hearts,” chronicles pediatrics professor Jaime Belkind-Gerson, MD, MSc’s personal journey to bridge science and art despite the pressure and anxiety that has often existed between the two. Belkind-Gerson has long had a passion for art, but it wasn’t always easy to share.
“If I had even the smallest bit of paint under my fingernails, I was scrubbing them so there’d be no trace of my double life,” he recalls of those early days in his career in medicine on the East Coast.
Today, his art has been featured in more than 30 exhibitions, many of his young patients have become admirers of his artwork, and the documentary follows the artist physician through a particularly prominent installation at the Museo De Las Americas in Denver.
Read More About the Documentary
Faculty Updates
Lori Sussel, PhD, Research Director for the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes and Associate Vice Chancellor for Basic Science, has been selected to receive the 2026 Arthur Riggs Award for Excellence in Diabetes Basic and Translational Science. The award is named for Professor Arthur Riggs, the pioneering geneticist known for his crucial work enabling the mass production of synthetic human insulin. She will deliver her award lecture in October during the Rachmiel Levine-Arthur Riggs Diabetes Research Symposium in Pasadena, California.
Lilia Cervantes, MD, Professor of Medicine and Director of Immigrant Health, moderated a panel of experienced practitioners who discussed healthcare affordability at LOWN26, a one-day conference held in Cambridge, Mass., that is featured in an August 3 post on the Lown Institute website.
Christine Waasdorp Hurtado, MD, MSCS, Professor of Pediatrics, has been awarded the Master Educator Award from the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition. The award honors individuals whose leadership, service, scholarship, mentorship, and commitment to education have made lasting contributions to pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology, and nutrition.
Featured Events
8/12
Academy of Medical Educators Induction and Reception
Wednesday, August 12, 4:30 p.m.–7 p.m.
Elliman Conference Center, Anschutz Health Sciences Building
The Academy of Medical Educators will induct new members and host a reception. All faculty and guests of the honorees are welcome. Register to attend the AME Induction Ceremony.
8/20
A Tale of Two Hearts Screening, Q&A
Thursday, August 20, from 3–5 p.m.
Mt. Oxford, Children’s Hospital Colorado Conference Center
A Tale of Two Hearts is a film exploring the intersection of medicine, identity, and artistic expression featuring Jaime Belkind-Gerson, MD, MSc, Professor of Pediatrics. Dr. Belkind-Gerson is a pediatric gastroenterologist, researcher, and visual artist whose work bridges the gap between clinical precision and human emotion. A live Q&A with Dr. Belkind-Gerson will follow the screening.
Recent Publications
Andres Vazquez-Torres, PhD, Professor of Immunology and Microbiology, is the corresponding author of a review article, “ Host–microbiota–pathogen interactions drive Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium pathogenesis,” published July 23 by Nature Reviews Microbiology.
David J. Douin, MD, MSc, Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, and Adit A. Ginde, MD, MPH, Professor of Emergency Medicine and member of the Executive Steering Committee of the Center for COMBAT Research, are corresponding authors of an original investigation, “Autonomous Oxygen Titration for Maintaining Normoxemia in Acutely Ill Adults: The SAVE-O2 AI Randomized Clinical Trial,” published August 3 by JAMA Internal Medicine. Ten co-authors are from our campus.
Lawrence A. Haber, MD, Professor of Clinical Practice of Medicine, is first author of a Viewpoint article, “Artificial Intelligence in Correctional Health Care—Designing for Access, Inclusion, and Trust,” published August 3 by JAMA Internal Medicine.
Benjamin G. Bitler, PhD, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, is a coauthor of an article, “The chemotherapy-induced senescence-associated secretome promotes cell detachment and metastatic dissemination through metabolic reprogramming,” published July 30 by Nature Aging.
Joshua T.B. Williams, MD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, is a co-author of a research letter, “Geographic Variation in Measles Vaccine Coverage Among Children Aged 7 Years in Northern California,” published July 30 by JAMA Network Open.
David J. Douin, MD, MSc, Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, and Adit A. Ginde, MD, MPH, Professor of Emergency Medicine and member of the Executive Steering Committee of the Center for COMBAT Research, are corresponding authors of an original investigation, “Autonomous Oxygen Titration for Maintaining Normoxemia in Acutely Ill Adults: The SAVE-O2 AI Randomized Clinical Trial,” published August 3 by JAMA Internal Medicine. Ten co-authors are from our campus.
Lawrence A. Haber, MD, Professor of Clinical Practice of Medicine, is first author of a Viewpoint article, “Artificial Intelligence in Correctional Health Care—Designing for Access, Inclusion, and Trust,” published August 3 by JAMA Internal Medicine.
Benjamin G. Bitler, PhD, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, is a coauthor of an article, “The chemotherapy-induced senescence-associated secretome promotes cell detachment and metastatic dissemination through metabolic reprogramming,” published July 30 by Nature Aging.
Joshua T.B. Williams, MD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, is a co-author of a research letter, “Geographic Variation in Measles Vaccine Coverage Among Children Aged 7 Years in Northern California,” published July 30 by JAMA Network Open.
Social Spotlight
Congratulations to our CU Anschutz School of Medicine faculty members who were named a 2026 Top Doctor by 5280 Magazine! See the full Instagram post.
Announcements
Save the Date
The CU Anschutz School of Medicine invites you to join Executive Vice Dean of Education Shanta Zimmer, MD, for a virtual town hall on Wednesday, August 26, at 8 a.m. She will be joined by Geoffrey Connors, MD, Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education, and Jennifer Adams, MD, Associate Dean of Medical Education, for a discussion on how our school is preparing the next generation of physicians for a rapidly evolving health care landscape.
The panel will focus on medical education across the continuum, including advancements such as the TREK curriculum and the new accelerated three-year MD program, with early transition to residency.
Register for the town hall and submit questions in advance.
Have a good week,
John H. Sampson, MD, PhD, MBA
Richard D. Krugman Endowed Chair
Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs
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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