Dean's Weekly Message
December 2, 2019
Dear colleague:
Two faculty members of the Department of Medicine have been nominated for election to the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI): Larry Allen, MD, professor of medicine and associate division head for clinical affairs in the Division of Cardiology and medical director of advanced heart failure, and Jennifer Taylor-Cousar, MD, MSCS, professor of medicine in the Division of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care and medical director of clinical research services at National Jewish Health. Jennifer has been a leader in creating therapeutic advances for people with cystic fibrosis. Larry’s work has included the study of ways to include patients and caregivers in meaningful participation in their care, such as a multicenter trial of decision support for patients offered a left ventricular assist device. He also has an American Heart Association Network Award investigating tools to increase patient engagement for heart failure medication. Election to the ASCI is a prestigious honor that recognizes physician-scientists for research that extends our understanding of health and improves treatment of diseases. Researchers who are 50 years of age or younger are eligible for nomination to the society. ASCI comprises more than 3,000 physician-scientists and each year adds no more than 80 new members from the several hundred who are nominated. The formal election of the nominees is scheduled for early next year.
Congratulations to Chelsea Magin, PhD, assistant professor of medicine and bioengineering, on being named the Colorado BioScience Association’s Educator of the Year at the group’s annual awards dinner in early November. Chelsea is the principal investigator in the Bio-Inspired Pulmonary Engineering Laboratory, where she and her team develop engineered cell culture platforms that mimic lung tissue. Such bioengineered lung models can provide a foundation for developing precision therapies and patient-specific tissue engineering. At the awards dinner, Chelsea was recognized for her work with the Colorado BioScience Institute’s Research Experience for Teachers, which provides middle and high school teachers experience and helps them translate that experience and new knowledge into the classroom.
The University’s SPARK|REACH program is accepting applications for translational projects. SPARK Colorado, founded in 2018, has been assisting CU Anschutz faculty and researchers in the process of transitioning their discoveries into products that will improve health. The program provides funding, industry mentorship, and a curriculum tailored to the needs of participating members. This fall, the Anschutz Medical Campus was awarded $4 million over the next four years from the National Institutes of Health Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hubs (REACH) grant. With the REACH hub designation, the program will also provide access to key federal agencies, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, in addition to relevant companies and organizations within the industry, and the angel and venture capital investment communities. Application deadline for the SPARK | Reach program is Monday, Jan. 20, 2020. Application details are available at the SPARK | Reach website.
John J. Reilly, Jr., MD
Richard D. Krugman Endowed Chair
Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs and
Dean, School of Medicine
The Dean’s weekly message is an email news bulletin from John J. Reilly, Jr., MD, Dean of the CU School of Medicine, that is distributed to inform University of Colorado 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. For clinical news and patient stories from UCHealth, please visit UCHealth Today
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