Dean's Weekly Message

February 2, 2026

Dear Colleague: 

I had the honor of delivering my second State of the School address last Wednesday, and I am pleased to report that we are strong and that we are making impressive progress toward our goal of being Top 10 in 10. The School of Medicine is a community of achievers and dreamers who work with compassion every day to improve the lives of others.

There are many measures that we use to track our progress, including improvements in care quality, boosts in funding support, accreditation of our school by the LCME, and matches by our graduates into top residency programs. I outlined many such achievements in the address.

While the evidence makes it clear we’re improving in many key performance indicators, it’s the stories of people that resonate for me. One of the highlights was introducing Carolyn Degrafinried, whose life was saved after a pancreatic cancer diagnosis. Our multidisciplinary care team, including Wells Messersmith, MD, Professor of Medicine and Division Head of Medical Oncology, and Marco Del Chiaro, MD, PhD, Professor of Surgery and Division Chief of Surgical Oncology, were featured in a video in the presentation.

The State of the School address is a time to celebrate and a reminder of how important our work is. I want to thank those who joined us for the presentation, and I invite you to review the address on the State of the School webpage.

Another highlight of this year’s presentation was the live poll we conducted during the address. Attendees were asked to offer their thoughts to the question “What makes our School of Medicine top 10?” There were many great answers: Research, Collaboration, Innovation, People. And so many more. Here’s a snapshot of the word cloud.

I note that this year’s State of the School occurred at a time when many are distressed by events in our country. I understand those concerns and I want to reassure you that we are focused on creating a respectful environment where our school thrives.

Our work as professionals in academic medicine remains as vital as ever. In unsettling times, we must work together to build trust that we are here to support one another. Our training prepares us to engage with the world, to ask questions, and to look for solutions. Pulling away from one another will not make us stronger. Standing together will.

Our campus has many resources offering support. Reach out for help if you need it. Your well-being matters.

Gift Announcement
I want to express our gratitude to Bonnie W. Camp, MD, PhD, for her generous pledge of $2 million to establish the Bonnie W. Camp, MD, PhD, Endowed Chair in Pediatrics.

A pediatrician and psychologist, Dr. Camp has been a pioneer and leader in pediatric medicine, transforming the field of early childhood development. A 1965 graduate of the School of Medicine, Dr. Camp’s research on language acquisition and social behavior in young children remains influential today. Her groundbreaking work laid the foundation for programs and practices that continue to shape how children thrive in their earliest years. 

In 2017, Dr. Camp received the prestigious Silver and Gold Award, bestowed by the CU Anschutz Medical Alumni Association, which recognizes excellence in humanitarianism, citizenship, and professionalism. She was honored in 2022 by the University of Colorado Regents with a University Medal for her lifetime of achievements and service.

Resources from this fund will support research and clinical practice to promote healthy development; prevent conditions early; address pediatric challenges across primary, inpatient, and newborn care; and launch initiatives that strengthen collaboration across departments. 

This important work is guided today by Maya Bunik, MD, MPH, who serves as the Bonnie W. Camp Distinguished Professor in Pediatrics.
 
“I am so grateful to Dr. Camp for her mentorship, leadership, and generosity,” Dr. Bunik said. “This gift will have tremendous long-lasting effects and continue her passion for the work on language and emotional development in children and families.”

Many thanks to Scott Arthur, Vice Chancellor for Advancement, and the rest of the team, especially Lisa Vandetty, for their work to make this gift possible.

Housestaff Appreciation Week
The residents and fellows in our graduate training programs are a shining light on our campus and in our hospitals, so we’re happy to join all school leaders in expressing our gratitude to them during Housestaff Appreciation Week. We’re always impressed by the dedication of our residents and fellows for their dedicated and tireless care of patients and for how well they balance the many demands of being a physician in training – doctor, educator, scholar, advocate. Our housestaff are mentors to our medical students, inspiration to our faculty, and the face of care and healing to many of our patients. We are proud to be with you on your professional journey.

Recent Publications
Matthew DeCamp, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Medicine and member of the Center for Bioethics and Humanities, is corresponding author of an original research article, “Organizational Factors that Impact Trust in Healing Relationships: A Qualitative Study,” published August 7, 2025, by the Journal of General Internal Medicine that has been named a recipient of the John A. Benson Jr., MD Professionalism Article Prize. The award recognizes outstanding contributions to the growing body of peer-reviewed journal articles that document the impact of medical professionalism on improving health care. Hanna T. Scotch, who was also with the Center for Bioethics and Humanities and is now a graduate student of philosophy at Michigan State University, is first author. Three colleagues from our campus are co-authors.

Wendy Macklin, PhD, Chair of Cell and Developmental Biology, is corresponding author, and Tessa Allen, graduate student in the Neuroscience Graduate Program, is co-author of a perspective article, “Meeting the need for myelin,” published January 22 by Science.

Alexander R. Horswill, PhD, Professor of Immunology and Microbiology and investigator with the Department of Veterans Affairs Eastern Colorado Healthcare System, is corresponding author of an article, “Collagen binding adhesin restricts Staphylococcus aureus skin infection,” published January 23 by Nature Communications. Three co-authors are from our school.

Leslie A. Lange, PhD, Professor of Biomedical Informatics, is a co-author of an article, “Cross-ancestry comparison of aptamer and antibody protein measures,” published January 22 by Nature Communications.

Pranav Padmanabhan, MPH, Research Assistant with The Missing US Lab Project, is the corresponding author of an original investigation, “Health, Costs, and Injection-Related Infections at a Hypothetical Overdose Prevention Center,” published January 28 by JAMA Network Open. Joshua Barocas, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine and the Principal Investigator of The Missing US Lab Project, is senior author. Nine co-authors are from our campus.

Rebecca Shay, MD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, is a co-author of an article, “Impact of attending neonatologist presence on neonatal intubation success and adverse events: a cohort study,” published January 27 by the Journal of Perinatology.

Ophthalmology Awards Seed Grants
Thirteen multidisciplinary research teams with innovative projects to advance vision science have been awarded seed grants by the Department of Ophthalmology’s Vision Science Research and Translation Accelerator (VISTA) Program.

Seed grants support early-stage research projects, helping researchers build evidence to compete for larger, competitive state and federal grants. Each of these VISTA grants, amounting to nearly $1.5 million in total funding, will support a team led by one of 13 principal investigators who represent seven different departments and divisions across the CU Anschutz campus. These teams include an additional 25 unique co-investigators, spanning a total of 10 departments and divisions. 

Department Chair Naresh Mandava, MD, tasked Joe Brzezinski, PhD, the department’s Director of Research, and Ophthalmology Professors Tianjing Li, MD, PhD, and Alan Palestine, MD, with establishing an impactful seed grant initiative. The program is supported in part by the historic $40 million gift the department received in 2025.

“I am grateful to our ophthalmology research leaders for taking the time to review so many terrific vision science proposals spanning the entire campus. This is an important step to leverage the amazing talent across CU Anschutz,” said Dr. Mandava.

“The Sue Anschutz-Rodgers Eye Center created this program to build a strong community of multidisciplinary teams that tackle vision science problems to discover ways to understand, detect, predict, and treat eye diseases,” Brzezinski adds. “One of the things I’m really excited about is how diverse the portfolio is. It’s bringing many different experts together to work on projects that span the research pipeline, including fundamental mechanism, translational, and clinical studies.”

The list of awardees are in this article in the Department of Ophthalmology newsroom.

AME Education Awards
The Academy of Medical Educator’s Education Awards program recognizes the dedication, creativity, and lasting impact of educators across our institution. These awards shine a light on the innovators, advocates, and everyday champions who enrich the learning for students, colleagues, and the broader community. Thanks to the continued generosity of the Doug Jones Family Endowment in Medical Education, each recipient receives a $1,000 award in recognition of their outstanding contributions. Anyone can submit a nomination; recipients must be members of the Academy of Medical Educators. Learn more and submit a nomination.

Distinguished Clinician and Faculty Professionalism Awards
The School of Medicine is now inviting nominations for the 2026 Annual Distinguished Clinician & Faculty Professionalism Awards, an opportunity to recognize colleagues whose work truly makes a difference. These awards celebrate faculty who lead with integrity, professionalism, and a deep commitment to exceptional patient care. Now is the time to submit a nomination of a colleague who inspires others, elevates our mission, and sets the standard of excellence every day. Deadline for nominations is Monday, February 16. For questions, email Cheryl Welch.

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