Dean's Weekly Message

March 9, 2026

Dear Colleague: 

Research Town Hall Covers Our Progress to Top 10
I was thrilled to host a town hall on research last week where our leaders discussed their efforts to build on our strong research programs by aligning efforts with our hospital partners, improving processes for pursuing clinical trials, and attracting top researchers.

The town hall was an enlightening discussion with Leslie Berg, PhD, Senior Associate Dean for Biomedical Research, and Adit Ginde, MD, MPH, Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Research and Assistant Vice Chancellor for Clinical Trials, moderated by Vineet Chopra, MD, MSc, Executive Vice Dean for Clinical Affairs, Research, and Quality.

We have tremendous momentum after our success last year, achieving our highest Blue Ridge ranking in 20 years. Among public medical schools, we ranked 8^th in the country overall. Half of our 18 clinical departments landed in the top 15 and our Department of Pediatrics ranked No. 1.  These are huge achievements!

We should be very proud of our progress during a complex and evolving time for academic medical research nationally. Our collaboration is our strength, so let’s keep up the great work.

Thanks to all who tuned in for the town hall last week. If you missed the conversation or want to watch it again, check it out on our town hall page of the Dean’s Office website, where we have posted this discussion and our previous town halls.

UCHealth Safety Culture Survey
Eligible staff, faculty, and residents should have received the UCHealth Safety Culture Survey on Monday, February 23, via email. If you did not, you can access the survey through this link by entering your NPI. Tom Gronow, EdD, MHA, President and CEO of University of Colorado Hospital, and I encourage you to complete the confidential survey and speak up for safety, ensuring that our faculty and housestaff voices are heard. The survey should take only 5-10 minutes. Your responses will help improve our culture of safety at University of Colorado Hospital. The survey will remain open until Wednesday, March 11.

Major Gift for Neurology and Cancer Center
We are pleased to announce that Becky Takeda-Tinker, PhD, and Allen Tinker have generously made an estate pledge currently valued at $5 million that will bolster the Neurology Support Fund and the Cancer Center Research Fund.

Dr. Takeda-Tinker has served as CEO of Colorado State University Global and has a strong record of collaborating with and leading diverse stakeholders to create innovative higher education and workforce training programs that advance economic and workforce success.

As patients at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital, she and her husband experienced exceptional care, concern, and expertise. It is their wish to provide a launchpad of support for others, fostering immediate and longitudinal impact. 

We are deeply grateful to Dr. Takeda-Tinker and Allen Tinker for their extraordinary generosity and to the team in the Office of Advancement.

In Memoriam
We offer condolences to the friends, family, and colleagues of Gerald D. “Chip” Dodd, III, MD, former Chair of Radiology, who died March 1. Dr. Dodd served as Chair of Radiology from 2008 to 2023, leading the department with vision, integrity, and an unwavering commitment to academic excellence. A nationally recognized leader in abdominal imaging and interventional radiology, Dr. Dodd built a distinguished career marked by innovation, scholarship, and mentorship. During his career, he authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and numerous book chapters, with seminal contributions in hepatic imaging and radiofrequency tumor ablation. Dr. Dodd was also a dedicated educator and mentor, championing innovation in resident education and research development.

We also are saddened by the passing of Ernesto Salcedo, MD, a Professor of Medicine who retired from the university in 2022 after more than 50 years in academic medicine. Dr. Salcedo was a world-renowned expert in echocardiography, particularly 3D transesophageal echocardiography and its use in guiding structural heart disease interventions. Throughout his career, he authored two editions of the Atlas of Echocardiography, contributed 20 book chapters, published approximately 150 peer-reviewed manuscripts, and presented over 100 abstracts. He also led several significant projects funded by the NIH and the American Heart Association. “Dr. Salcedo was an incredible clinician and teacher,” said Larry Allen, MD, Head of the Division of Cardiology. “He was always available for a consult, and he was the first to fill in when there were needs. We find comfort in reflecting on the amazing life he lived and the incredible legacy he leaves."

Faculty Updates
Brian Flynn, MD, Professor of Surgery, performed a livestreamed complex robotic functional reconstructive urology case for a national audience of more than 700 urologists at the 10^th Annual North American Robotic Urology Symposium. This marks the third consecutive year that CU Anschutz was selected to host a live surgical broadcast for the meeting, reflecting the program’s advanced technical capabilities and national reputation. Dr. Flynn’s demonstration highlighted the depth of our robotic expertise, supported by UCHealth nursing, anesthesia, and surgical teams whose weekend commitment elevated this educational event.

Natalie Serkova, PhD, Professor and Vice Chair of Research for the Department of Radiology, is a recipient of the 2026 Excellence in Leadership Award, awarded by the University of Colorado through its Excellence in Leadership Program. Dr. Serkova joined CU Anschutz in 2003 as junior faculty tasked with guiding the creation of CU’s first imaging research facility. The transition was underway for Anschutz to relocate from Denver to its current campus in Aurora, an ideal time to undergo the creation of an imaging center that would require development of dedicated spaces to house the sizeable MRI, PET, and CT scanning apparatus.

Recent Publications
Kelly Knupp, MD, MSCS, Professor of Pediatrics and Neurology, is a co-author of an article, “Zorevunersen in Children and Adolescents with Dravet Syndrome,” published March 4 by The New England Journal of Medicine.

Michael Szarek, PhD, Research Professor of Medicine, is a co-author of an article, “Obicetrapib in patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia: the BROOKLYN randomized clinical trial,” published February 27 in Nature Medicine.

Marc P. Bonaca, MD, Professor of Medicine and Executive Director of CPC Clinical Research, is a corresponding author of an article, “Semaglutide in peripheral artery disease and diabetes by baseline disease severity and age: the STRIDE trial,” published March 5 by the European Heart Journal. Neda Rasouli, MD, Professor of Medicine, is a co-author.

Srinivas Ramachandran, PhD, Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, and Xiaojun Ren, PhD, with the Department of Chemistry at University of Colorado Denver, are corresponding authors of an article, “Self-clustering of three CBX2 molecules drives PRC2 to promote facultative heterochromatinization of Polycomb target genes,” published March 4 by Molecular Cell. Nine co-authors are from our campus or CU Denver.

Alon Poleg-Polsky, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Physiology and Biophysics, is corresponding author of an article, “Machine learning discovers numerous new computational principles supporting elementary motion detection,” published March 3 by Nature Communications.

David W.H. Riches, PhD, Professor of Immunology and Microbiology and Head of the Division of Cell Biology in the Department of Pediatrics at National Jewish Health, is corresponding author of an article, “Conditional BCL-2 Expression in Fibroblasts Promotes Persistent Pulmonary Fibrosis which is Reversible by Therapeutic BCL-2 Inhibition,” published February 28 in Nature Communications. Seventeen co-authors are from our campus or National Jewish Health.

Jesse Schold, PhD, Professor of Surgery, is a co-author of an original investigation, “Expedited Transplant Allocation Using a Paired Kidney Cohort,” published March 4 by JAMA Network Open.

Rafael Malgor, MD, MBA, Professor of Surgery, served as first author and Chair of the Guidelines Committee for the newly accepted clinical practice guideline, “The American Venous Forum Clinical Practice Guideline on the Care of Patients with Upper Extremity Deep Venous Thrombosis,” published March 2 by the Journal of Vascular Surgery: Venous and Lymphatic Disorders. PGY‑2 vascular surgery resident Pedro Neves, MD, contributed as a co‑author, bringing national and international visibility to CU Anschutz Vascular Surgery.

Theresa R. Grover, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, is a co-author of an article, “Congenital heart disease and congenital diaphragmatic hernia: the role of intracardiac shunts,” published March 2 by the Journal of Perinatology.

Academy of Medical Educators Annual Report
The 2025 Academy of Medical Educators Annual Report  showcases a year of growth, innovation, and impact in medical education at CU Anschutz. From faculty recognition and professional development programs to scholarly achievements and community-building events, see how the Academy is making a difference for educators across the School of Medicine. If you are not yet a member, we invite you to explore what the Academy has to offer and consider joining a community dedicated to elevating teaching and learning. Applications for the Academy of Medical Educators are open March 1 through May 31.

AME Education & Innovation Symposium
Learn and connect at the annual Education and Innovation Symposium, where presentations, panels, and hands-on workshops showcase the latest innovations and scholarly work in medical education. Join us in person on May 13 at the Anschutz Health Sciences Building, or virtually on May 14. This year, the Academy is partnering with the Graduate Medical Education Office for programming and to showcase the innovative work happening across the continuum of medical education. Visit the symposium website for details and register now. 

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