Dean's Weekly Message

Dear colleague:

The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is a recruitment site for the $1.15 billion National Institutes of Health-funded nationwide study of people who have lingering health conditions after having COVID. This study, known as RECOVER, is a four-year research study designed to better understand long COVID and to develop new treatments. Kristine Erlandson, MD, associate professor of medicine, is co-principal site investigator. Our School of Medicine community is able to boost this effort with strong community outreach programs, such as the Colorado Community Engagement Alliance. Denver Health is also a recruitment site. We distinguish ourselves from other care providers in our community with a depth of research that bolsters the quality of care we provide. 

Anna Lee, a second-year medical student, has been awarded a scholarship by the ARCS Foundation, recognizing her for work in the lab of Kia Washington, MD, professor of surgery. In an interview posted in the School of Medicine newsroom, Anna describes her inspiration for attending medical school and her experience working in a research lab. The Colorado Chapter of the ARCS Foundation supports education in the sciences and since its founding in 1976, it has awarded more than $5 million in scholar awards to more than 1,100 students in science, engineering, and medicine. 

Frederick Grover, MD, professor emeritus and former chair of surgery, first visited Nepal in 2000, and in the years since he’s returned 16 times, helping establish and nurture relationships between Nepali and University of Colorado clinicians. Initially a personal mission, Fred’s partnerships with colleagues in Nepal have expanded to include many others from our campus. An article posted in the School of Medicine newsroom features Fred’s efforts to help Nepalis with cardiac care. 

Gregary Bocsi, DO, associate professor of pathology, received the CAP Public Service Award at the College of American Pathologists (CAP) annual meeting in New Orleans this past weekend. The award recognizes Greg for his political, citizenship, and leadership service. Greg has been active in committee work for the CAP, and at our school, Greg recently completed a term as president of the Faculty Senate. 

Edward Ashwood, MD, professor of pathology and vice chair for clinical pathology, received the CAP Lifetime Achievement Award at the College of American Pathologists (CAP) annual meeting. Ed has been a member of the group since 1985 and made numerous presentations and written articles based on his committee work with the group. 

The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) last week launched the National Plan for Health Workforce Well-Being. The NAM identifies priority areas for health workforce well-being and the actions responsible parties need to take to address those concerns. As we know, our calling sometimes comes with significant costs to our own health. This plan is intended to inspire collective action that focuses on changes needed across the health system and at the organizational level to improve the well-being of the health workforce. You can access the full National Plan to learn more about the priority areas for action and what you can do. 

Faculty judges are needed for the annual Student Research Forum Poster Presentations, which will be held Tuesday, December 13, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. At the forum, Anschutz Medical Campus students present their work and compete for awards. For this forum to succeed, we need faculty to participate. This year’s event will be virtual, so judges just need an internet connection and Zoom capabilities. Please sign up to be a judge. 

“Tell Me Who You Are: Sharing Our Stories of Race, Culture, & Identity” by Winona Guo and Priya Vulchi, is the book for this year’s One Book One Campus program, which is organized by the CU Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education. The authors are young women who deferred college admission for a year to collect first-person accounts of how racism plays out in the country. One Book One Campus events will include book discussions and a Tribute link for members of our campus community to share their stories. 

Election season is upon us. Election day is Tuesday, November 8. Ballots will soon be arriving in the mail. I would encourage anyone who is eligible to exercise their right to vote. Details about registering to vote in Colorado can be found on Vote.gov. 

The University of Colorado System office has posted a reminder about university guidelines regarding political campaign-related activity and expression. In general, university employees have the right as private citizens to freedom of expression and participation in the political process. When expressing personal political views, university employees should be clear that they are not representing a university position. Private political activities must be conducted on personal time and without using university resources, including computers, copiers, and email addresses. 

A three-day-old zebrafish from the labs of Christian Mosimann, PhD, and Alexa Burger, PhD, is the cover model for the October issue of Developmental Dynamics. Christian, associate professor, and Alexa, associate research professor, both in the Department of Pediatrics Section of Developmental Biology, plus several colleagues from our campus, are authors of an accompanying research article. Christian describes the picture as the zebrafish “styled like a back-to-school photo.”

Have a good week,

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