Dean's Weekly Message

July 6, 2026

Happy Retirement, Dr. Kempe! 

Happy retirement to Allison (Ally) Kempe, MD, MPH, effective July 1. She retires as Professor Emerita of Pediatrics after more than 30 years in the Section of General Academic Pediatrics at CU Anschutz and more than 40 years in academic medicine. She founded the Children’s Outcomes Research program and the Adult & Child Center for Outcomes Research & Delivery Science (ACCORDS), led pediatric research training programs, authored or co-authored more than 250 peer-reviewed publications, and trained hundreds of fellows and faculty.

A nationally recognized leader in vaccine delivery research and policy, she received the 2011 Academic Pediatric Association Research Award, the 2025 Miller-Sarkin Research Mentoring Award, and the 2024 AcademyHealth Lifetime Achievement Award in Child Health Services Research.

Elevating Established Leaders 

The Executive Leadership Development Program (ELDP) is a new professional development opportunity exclusively for division heads, vice chairs, and department chairs at the CU Anschutz School of Medicine.

This year-long program, developed in collaboration with the Institute for Healthcare Quality, Safety & Efficiency (IHQSE), will provide participants with training to build advanced skills to lead people, projects, and organizations.

Participation in the program is available by nomination only. If you are a senior leader interested in the ELDP, please connect with your department chair, senior associate dean, or executive vice dean to request their nomination. Visit the leadership training opportunities through the IHQSE webpage for other programs. 

Midcareer Faculty Applications for Leadership Seminar 

The Office for Faculty Development (OFD) is soliciting applications for our CU Anschutz School of Medicine nominees for the AAMC’s 2026 Midcareer Faculty Leadership Development Seminar on December 8-10, 2026, in Westminster, CO. Registration and travel will be funded by the OFD.

This three-day seminar is designed to provide midcareer faculty with the knowledge and skills necessary to support their continued progress along the path to leadership in academic medicine and science. The seminar covers organizational leadership topics and career-advancing strategies that are essential for effective leaders throughout various mission-critical activities.

Physicians and scientists who have held the rank of associate professor at the School of Medicine for at least two years and are actively seeking full professorship or advanced leadership positions are eligible to apply. To apply, please submit CV, chair or division head’s letter of support, and essay responses here by August 1, 2026. For questions, contact som.facdev@cuanschutz.edu. 

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Featured News

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Faculty Updates

Leland Fan, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, will receive the Edwin L. Kendig, Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Academy of Pediatrics in Spring 2027. The bi-annual award recognizes an outstanding pediatric pulmonologist and their legacy in the field. 

Harisa Spahic, MD, a first-year Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellow, has been accepted into the Pediatric Scientist Development Program supported through the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Her project will investigate Sex-Specific Hippocampal Impairment after Brief Hyperoxia with Innate Immune Dysregulation. Her mentor is Robert Dietz, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics.

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Featured Events

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Recent Publications

Glenn T. Furuta, MD, Section Head of Pediatric GI and Hepatology and Director of the Gastrointestinal Eosinophilic Diseases Program; Calies Menard-Katcher, MD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics; and Paul Menard-Katcher, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, are co-authors of an article, “Dupilumab versus placebo in adults and adolescents with eosinophilic gastritis (DEGAS): a double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2, multicentre, randomised controlled trial,” published June 23 by The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology . Dr. Furuta is Administrative Principal Investigator of the Consortium of Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disease Researchers, which conducted the phase 2 clinical trial.

Fan Zhang, PhD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, is a co-author of a research article, “SPP1hi macrophages in fibrin niches promote hyperplastic tissue remodeling in rheumatoid arthritis synovium,” published June 24 by Science Translational Medicine.

Ian H. Stanley, PhD, Associate Research Professor of Emergency Medicine and Psychological Health Lead, CU Anschutz Center for COMBAT Research, is corresponding author of a research letter, “Terminated, Withdrawn, or Suspended Suicide Prevention Studies,” published June 29 by JAMA Network Open. Four co-authors are from our campus.

Matthew T. Witkowski, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, is corresponding author of an article, “FATP2-mediated lipid metabolism enhances chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy resistance in B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia,” published June 30 by Leukemia. Multiple co-authors are from our campus.

Suchitra Rao, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, is a co-author of an article, “SSRI/SNRI and long COVID in children and adolescents with neuropsychiatric conditions: a cohort study from the RECOVER Initiative,” published June 29 by Nature Mental Health.

Josephine Harrington, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, is corresponding author of a mini-review article, “Association between SGLT2 inhibitors and outcomes after heart transplant in patients with type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis,” published June 6 by Heart Failure Reviews. Three co-authors, including first author Thomas Alexandre Costa, MD, resident in Internal Medicine, are from our campus.

Aline B. Maddux, MD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, and Joseph A. Hippensteel, MD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, are co-authors of an article, “Plasma heparan sulfate structural variation and phenotypic heterogeneity in pediatric Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome,” published June 26 by Scientific Reports.

Thomas Alexandre Costa, MD, resident in Internal Medicine, and Raymundo Quintana Quezada, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, are co-authors of “Where is the plaque signal? Colchicine and coronary atherosclerosis by CCTA,” published May 20 by The International Journal of Cardiovascular Imaging.

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Social Spotlight

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Announcements

Now Hiring: Vice Provost of Academic Strategy and Effectiveness

The University of Colorado Anschutz Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs is recruiting a Vice Provost of Academic Strategy and Effectiveness to serve as a key member of the Provost’s leadership team, providing executive leadership and strategic direction to set institutional priorities, guide academic strategy, and ensure effective implementation in support of academic excellence and operational effectiveness. This role functions as a strategic leader with delegated authority to advance institutional priorities, lead cross-campus initiatives, and represent the Provost with internal and external constituencies. The job description includes details about the position and application instructions.

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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