Dean's Weekly Message

March 23, 2026

Dear Colleague: 

Match Day 2026
What a great day! Last Friday, we gathered with our Class of 2026 as they discovered the next leg of their professional journey.

The ceremony included a few speeches, a video, and a dramatic reveal that happens at the same time for medical students across the country. We are fortunate to have a beautiful space – the Benson Lobby in the Anschutz Health Sciences Building – where we can host the festivities.

I was honored to offer remarks and my own congratulations. This is my second Match Day at CU Anschutz and Shanta Zimmer, MD, Executive Vice Dean for Education, said this is the best match ever for our graduating class.

I hope you check out the Class of 2026 Match Day Celebration webpage, where we have posted profiles of some of our medical students and where you can find links to social media posts, videos, and other features about this amazing day. Make sure you watch the video where I; Dr. Zimmer; Thomas Flaig, MD, Vice Chancellor for Research; and Nida Awadallah, MD, Associate Professor of Family Medicine, remember our own Match Day.

Teaching in the Neuropathology Lab
I recently had the privilege of teaching a group of outstanding first-year medical students about the human nervous system in the Neuropathology Lab. What an impressive crew and I had a great time connecting with our students!

The lab is a remarkable model of interdisciplinary faculty collaboration. This year, 24 faculty and seven student educators (fourth-year medical students and anatomy master’s students) volunteered their entire afternoon on Monday, March 16, to lead the small groups.

Thank you to all the faculty and students! I especially thank Course Director Maureen Stabio, PhD, Associate Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology, and Assistant Course Director Aaron Carlson, MD, Assistant Professor of Neurology. Thanks also to Steven Ojemann, MD, Professor of Neurosurgery, who was co-instructor with me for our student groups.

The teaching team represented Neurology, Pediatric Neurology, Neurosurgery, Pathology, Emergency Medicine, Cell and Developmental Biology, and the Modern Human Anatomy Program. And, this year, the Dean’s Office!

Students work in small groups using a Clinical Pathology Conference format, solving one case for each letter of the VITAMINC mnemonic (Vascular, Infectious, Traumatic, Age-related/degenerative, Metabolic, Inflammatory, Neoplastic, and Congenital).

Each case integrates multiple aspects of a patient’s evaluations, including radiology, labs, neurologic exam, histology, and anatomy. Each student group has 20 minutes per station before rotating, moving through all eight cases in a single afternoon.  

A particularly distinctive feature of this lab is that students explore hands-on with donated brain and spinal cord tissues made available through the UCHealth Hospital Autopsy consent program. What a profound gift from donors and their families! Their donations are gifts of inestimable value.

Meeting with Biomedical Informatics Faculty
I enjoyed the opportunity to have lunch with faculty from the Department of Biomedical Informatics (DBMI) last Tuesday. The gathering was across ranks and areas of focus, creating a broad discussion of the field and faculty experience at CU Anschutz.

Casey Greene, PhD, Chair of Biomedical Informatics, graciously welcomed me to the meeting and said: “What stood out to me was the balance of optimism and realism. Our faculty are doing innovative work while being attentive to the structural and practical issues that shape how that work scales and translates.”

The conversation reflected this balance, with faculty engaging candidly and constructively while surfacing shared themes. Bringing together diverse perspectives in this way underscored a collective commitment to advancing biomedical informatics.

Dr. Greene also expressed appreciation for our engagement, saying he and the department appreciated my “taking time to listen and engage, and for the clear enthusiasm in hearing directly from faculty at every stage.”

More Support for GME Programs and Trainees
I want to send heartfelt thanks to our key clinical partners for their support of our Graduate Medical Education programs and our trainees!

One of my primary goals as Dean has been to align with our partners so we have transparency and sustainability in funding support. Following a comprehensive review conducted in partnership with hospital leaders, departmental leadership, GME, and finance, we are implementing an updated model for the benefit of all of us.

This model addresses accreditation requirements across departments and more accurately reflects the accreditation cost of running our residency and fellowship programs.

Key elements of the updated model include:

• A standardized framework for protected time allocations tied to program approved size and accreditation as detailed by the specific Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education program requirements (financial support for protected time as required by ACGME).
• Improved transparency regarding required protected time, funding sources, and reporting structures for both School of Medicine and ACGME reporting.
• Periodic review to ensure ongoing appropriateness of funding as programs and national requirements evolve.

This is an important win for all of us in our efforts to provide outstanding training programs where we bring the best residents and fellows to serve our communities!

Celebrate National Doctors' Day and National Scientists' Day with a Free Bagel and Coffee
The School of Medicine Dean’s Office is sponsoring a Free Bagel and Coffee for all School of Medicine faculty physicians and scientists in recognition of National Doctors’ Day (March 30) and National Scientists’ Day (March 14). 
 
Beginning today, March 23, faculty physicians and scientists may go to the Woodgrain Bagels (Ed 2 North), Woodmill (Fitzsimons Building), or T Street Café (Anschutz Heath Sciences Building) for a bagel and a medium coffee, or other store offerings up to an $8 value. One offer per person, redeemable at the register. To redeem, faculty must present a printed or electronic copy of the flyer that was sent to all physician and scientist faculty with an MD, DO, or PhD degrees. The offer ends March 27, or when 1,000 faculty redeem the offer, whichever comes first.
 
*Please note: While this event does not include our Advanced Practice Professionals (APPS), we will be recognizing our APPs with a similar program in September.
 
Please contact Cheryl Welch ([email protected]) with questions.

Lilia Cervantes to Receive CU's Thomas Jefferson Award
Lilia Cervantes, MD, Professor of Medicine and Director of Immigrant Health, has been selected as a recipient of the 2026 Thomas Jefferson Award, which is one of the highest honors bestowed by the University of Colorado. 

The Thomas Jefferson Award is presented annually across the CU system to faculty, staff, and/or students whose achievements embody Jefferson’s ideals and contribute to the advancement of higher education and society. Award winners – who are selected by a committee of CU faculty, staff, and students – receive an engraved plaque and a $2,000 honorarium.

Dr. Cervantes is a national leader in improving access to care for patients who depend on Emergency Medicaid for kidney disease. Her published scholarship has shown how delayed care contributes to mortality and morbidity among patients, increases costs for payers, and causes distress for physicians and caregivers.

Congratulations, Dr. Cervantes!

Ahmad Hider named a 40 Under 40 Leader in Minority Health
Ahmad Hider, MD, MPhil, a second-year general surgery resident in the CU Anschutz Department of Surgery, has been named a 40 Under 40 Leader in Minority Health by the National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF).

Each year, NMQF selects 40 health leaders under the age of 40 who are leading the charge to better patient outcomes and build sustainable, healthy communities. “These 40 leaders have persevered in strengthening their communities and reducing health disparities amid ongoing challenges within the health care system,” the organization said in a press release.

A native of Michigan, Dr. Hider earned his undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Michigan and his Master of Philosophy from the University of Cambridge. Prior to beginning residency at CU, he served as a White House Intern in the Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Among Dr. Hider’s recently published papers are a JAMA Health Forum Viewpoint article that explains how a bundled model for surgical care can become a tool for health care systems to reduce their carbon footprint and a JAMA Surgery Viewpoint article advocating for improved hernia mesh procedures in the operating room. You can read more about Dr. Hider in this article in the Department of Surgery newsroom.

Congratulations, Dr. Hider!

Recent Publications
Matthew K. Wynia, MD, MPH, Professor of Medicine and Director of the Center for Bioethics and Humanities, is corresponding author of aninvited commentary, “Caring for Individual Patients to Catalyze Organizational Equity,” published March 13 by JAMA Network Open.

Cem Altunbas, PhD, Professor of Radiation Oncology, is corresponding author of a research article, “Experimental characterization and mitigation of scatter induced spectral contamination in photon counting CBCT for radiotherapy,” published March 15 by Medical Physics. Four colleagues from Radiation Oncology are co-authors.

New Leader Orientation
The Office for Faculty Development is hosting a full-day new leader orientation event on June 4 at the Anschutz Health Sciences Building. The event is 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. To register or nominate a new leader, fill out the online form. For questions, please contact [email protected].

Now Hiring: Senior Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs
The University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine seeks an accomplished physician leader to serve as Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer of CU Medicine. This is a premier executive leadership role responsible for shaping the clinical strategy, quality, access, growth, and integration of the School of Medicine’s extensive clinical enterprise. This role serves as the senior physician executive responsible for aligning the SOM’s academic mission with high-value, patient-centered, financially sustainable clinical care across all SOM clinical platforms. This leader works in close partnership with SOM department chairs, CU Medicine leadership, University of Colorado Hospital Authority, Children’s Hospital Colorado, and key regional affiliates to advance excellence in patient care, education, and research. The position description includes additional details and application instructions.

Now Hiring: Associate Director for Clinical Education
The Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) seeks an Associate Director for Clinical Education to help lead and coordinate the physician-scientist training pathway, supporting students’ progress toward successful academic research careers through advising, curriculum integration, and leadership of key MSTP courses. The Associate Director will understand and help revise key policies and processes of MD stakeholders when appropriate and work closely with the MSTP Director to integrate the curriculum across the long training program. This role serves on the MSTP Leadership Team and collaborates with the School of Medicine to ensure successful program completion and placement into top research-oriented residency programs. The position description includes additional details 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