Dear colleague:

The University of Colorado Cancer Center has four posts on its website that provide a snapshot of work by campus researchers who have been providing essential services to others during the effort to gain a better understanding of COVID-19. During the pandemic, advanced technologies used for cancer research have been deployed to provide tools that help others on our campus who are working to diagnose and treat COVID-19. The Cell Technologies Shared Resource shut down in mid-March like most other labs on campus, but it stirred back to life when the team was asked whether it could make proteins needed for serum antibody testing. The Mass Spectrometry Shared Resource has been working to find early warning signs of pulmonary embolism, which has emerged as a life-threatening condition in some patients. The Human Immune Monitoring Shared Resource processed COVID-19 patient samples for cryogenic storage so that other researchers would have samples for experiments. The Animal Imaging Shared Resource has offered insight into systemic inflammation that can be useful in investigating the disease. These efforts are examples of the power of our campus to work as a team for the benefit of others.

Congratulations to Paul MacLean, PhD, professor of medicine in the Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Diabetes, and director of the Colorado Nutrition Obesity Research Center (NORC), and to the rest of the team at the NORC on receiving notification last week that its program grant has been renewed by the National Institutes of Health for five years, providing $5.83 million in funding for nutrition and obesity-related research. The team also secured an additional $150,000 to support funding for pilot project awards to researchers from diverse backgrounds.

The University of Colorado System ranked No. 20 on the list of Top 100 Worldwide Universities Granted U.S. Utility Patents in 2019 released by trade groups The National Academy of Inventors and the Intellectual Property Owners Association. CU School of Medicine faculty members are responsible for two patents featured in the CU System announcement about the ranking. One of them is the Kahook Dual Blade, created by Malik Kahook, MD, professor of ophthalmology, for treating glaucoma. The other is Q32 Bio, a company developing biologics to restore healthy immune regulation based on scientific work by Michael Holers, MD, professor of medicine and head of the Division of Rheumatology, and Joshua Thurman, MD, professor of medicine in the Division of Renal Diseases and Hypertension.

Christian Mosimann, PhD, associate professor of pediatrics in the Section of Developmental Biology, has been awarded the 2020 Junior Faculty Award for Excellence from the Zebrafish Disease Models Society (ZDMS). The award recognizes excellence in zebrafish disease modeling research by an early independent investigator, based on the quality and significance of a recent research publication. Christian’s laboratory used the zebrafish model to uncover the possible involvement of the gene BCL9 in congenital heart defects. The research article was published in Genes & Development. The work showcases how zebrafish and mouse experiments can be used to gain new insights into possible causes of congenital disease. Christian holds the Helen and Arthur E. Johnson Chair for the Cardiac Research Director.

Stephanie Nwagwu, who is a member of the MD class of 2021, has been elected to the SNMA Board of Directors as Regional Director to the Executive Committee and Region III Director. The Student National Medical Association (SNMA) is the nation’s oldest and largest independent, student-run organization focused on the needs and concerns of medical students of color. The SNMA has more than 7,000 members who are medical students, pre-medical students, and physicians.

Joyce Lee, MD, associate professor of medicine in the Division of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine, has been appointed to the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation medical team. The foundation, which was founded in 2000, is the leading pulmonary fibrosis patient education and advocacy organization in the United States. It offers resources to patients and providers of those living and working with pulmonary fibrosis.

Janet Meredith, MBA, senior instructor in the Department of Family Medicine, has been named recipient of the Mentor of the Year award by the Office of Medical Education for her contributions to mentored scholarly works by our medical students. Janet is the second consecutive Family Medicine faculty member to be recognized with the award. Last year, Associate Professor Bethany Kwan, PhD, MSPH, received the award. The Mentored Scholarly Activity project is a four-year requirement for all undergraduate medical students, culminating in a capstone project. The goal is to foster self-directed, lifelong learning. The example set by our faculty is critical to the success of these projects.

The Office of Advancement announced on June 5 the creation of the Karen M. Jennison Endowed Chair in Gynecologic Oncology, made possible with a $2 million gift from Karen Jennison, PhD. The chair provides support for research on screening and treatment of gynecologic cancers and will contribute to the University’s efforts to attract and retain faculty. Saketh Guntupalli, MD, director of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology’s Division of Gynecologic Oncology, has been named the inaugural holder of the chair. We express our gratitude for Karen Jennison’s generosity and for the work of Saketh and the Advancement team.

The University of Colorado School of Medicine Office of Graduate Medical Education will hold the Second Annual Quality & Safety Showcase from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday, June 16. The showcase, which will be held virtually, will feature live presentations of resident- and fellow-led quality projects at Children’s Hospital Colorado, Denver Health Medical Center, and UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital. The event page features a list of presenters. Connect to this Zoom link to attend.

The Department of Psychiatry has announced that the Faculty and Staff Mental Health Clinic is now open. The clinic provides easily accessible, comprehensive, and confidential mental health services. The clinic accepts most insurance, including the CU Anschutz-sponsored Anthem plans. The department has also posted a list of resources, including support groups, on its web page.

UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital was ranked No. 12 on the list of the best hospitals in the United States that was released recently by Newsweek. According to Newsweek, the methodology includes rankings by medical professionals who were surveyed, along with patient experience data and hospital key performance indicators.

The May 2020 Child Health Research Enterprise newsletter has been posted with information about clinical research reactivation at Children’s Hospital Colorado, telehealth research activities, and three recent studies on campus that address COVID-19.

Have a good week,

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

If you would like to receive these emails directly, please contact Cheryl.Welch@ucdenver.edu.  To unsubscribe, please click on the link below. 

This message was distributed to the subscribers of the University of Colorado Denver "SOMD-WEEKLY-MESSAGE" list.

To unsubscribe from the SOMD-WEEKLY-MESSAGE list, click the following link:
http://lists.ucdenver.edu/scripts/wa.exe?TICKET=NzM3NjIxIFRPTklBLlRXSUNIRUxMQFVDREVOVkVSLkVEVSBTT01ELVdFRUtMWS1NRVNTQUdFIJlu%2FJ%2FftAaR&c=SIGNOFF

Have a good week,

John J. Reilly, Jr., MD
Richard D. Krugman Endowed Chair
Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs and
Dean, School of Medicine