Dean's Weekly Message

November 28, 2022

Dear colleague:

The School of Medicine Physical Therapy Program’s application to the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education to expand its class size by 40 in a partnership with the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) has been approved. This partnership combines the strengths of our programs to serve the health care needs of our state. Our Physical Therapy Program is one of the best in the country. The Johnson Beth-El College of Nursing and Health Sciences at UCCS has the facilities and capacity to expand our Doctor of Physical Therapy education efforts and to provide this expert care to more people in Colorado. Instruction will be provided at the UCCS William J. Hybl Sports Medicine and Performance Center for students enrolled in the hybrid pathway of our Physical Therapy Program. Thanks to Michael Harris-Love, PT, MPT, DSc, director of the Physical Therapy Program and professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation, for guiding this application process and leading the program expansion team. The first cohort at UCCS is expected to begin in June 2024 and to graduate in December 2026.  

Andrés Henao-Martinez, MD, associate professor of medicine, is one of more than three dozen international collaborators listed as authors on an article published in The Lancet earlier this month. The article describes the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of monkeypox virus infection in cisgender and transgender women and non-binary individuals assigned female sex at birth to improve identification and understanding of risk factors. 

The Eugene S. Farley, Jr. Health Policy Center is hosting an open house Wednesday, December 7, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., in its offices on the fourth floor of the Anschutz Health Sciences Building. The Farley Center provides expertise translating research for legislators and policymakers to improve health care. Members of the Farley team can help researchers design and conduct policy relevant research and offer learners opportunities to develop their policy and research skills. RSVP to attend. 

For nearly two decades, Colorado Area Health Education Center (COAHEC) has offered free health screenings at the National Western Stock Show each January. COAHEC relies on student, clinical, and non-clinical volunteers to staff and administer health screenings. This is a great opportunity to provide a critical public health service for our state. The stock show runs January 7-22, 2023. Volunteer shifts are for four hours. Volunteers get free admission to the stock show and can qualify for event tickets by volunteering for three or more shifts. Details and links for signing up are on the COAHEC website. 

Condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Michael Iseman, MD, professor of medicine and longtime chief of the clinical mycobacteriology service at National Jewish Health, who died November 20. Mike joined the CU faculty in 1972 and served as associate director of pulmonary service at Denver General Hospital. In 1982, he joined National Jewish Health, where he led the tuberculosis program. Mike graduated from Princeton University with a history degree, earned a medical degree from Columbia University, served two years in the U.S. Navy in Hawaii, and then settled in Denver to raise his family and practice medicine. Mike was a highly regarded physician and researcher who wrote the definitive textbook on tuberculosis and who was inducted into the American Thoracic Society’s Hall of Fame. A celebration of Mike’s life is scheduled for Thursday, December 15, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Village Club, 4601 E. Belleview Ave., Cherry Hills Village.

Have a good week,

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