Dean's Weekly Message

Dear colleague:

UCHealth announced last week that it has signed a letter of intent with Parkview Health System in Pueblo for that hospital to become part of the UCHealth system. UCHealth is committing to invest nearly $200 million into Parkview and the Pueblo community, including a donation of $5 million to the Parkview Foundation to establish a long-term fund to support Parkview’s patients, the community, and the hospital. Parkview has a 350-bed hospital and about 3,000 employees. UCHealth expects to complete the integration of Parkview into the UCHealth system in mid-2023. 

The Carousel of Hope gala on October 8 raised more than $1.7 million to benefit the Children’s Diabetes Foundation and the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes here on the Anschutz Medical Campus. We are grateful for the generous and longstanding support from Barbara Davis and Dana Davis, who hosted the event at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. Diane Keaton was honored with the Brass Ring Award for her philanthropic efforts while performers John Legend, Deborah Cox, and Andy Grammer provided entertainment. Earlier that day, at a related symposium, scientists discussed technologies, prevention, and cure for type 1 diabetes. Since its inception in 1978, this gala has raised more than $110 million for childhood diabetes care and research. 

The leaders of the University of Colorado, including President Todd Saliman and CU Anschutz Medical Campus Chancellor Don Elliman, issued a statement last week about a recent court ruling that deemed the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program unlawful. They wrote: “CU’s position on DACA remains clear and consistent: Congress needs to act to find a permanent solution and pathway to citizenship. We remain steadfast in our support of CU’s Dreamers who study and work across our four campuses and in our communities. DACA recipients are engaged contributors in their classrooms and careers, and they strengthen the fabric of our campuses, our local communities and the state of Colorado. We will continue to strongly advocate for a permanent solution with both our Colorado congressional delegation and through our involvement with the President’s Alliance of Higher Education and Immigration until Congress gets it done.” 

The Ludeman Family Center for Women’s Health Research last week presented its national conference, “Sex Differences Across the Lifespan: A Focus on Metabolism,” at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs. Sarah Temkin, MD, associate director for clinical research in the NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health, offered opening remarks Wednesday evening. Many thanks to the team at the center for assembling an impressive program of panels that followed over the next two days. 

The Infectious Disease Division of the Department of Medicine hosted the 32nd International Conference on Retroviral Pathogenesis in Vail October 12-16. The meeting was an opportunity to showcase our School of Medicine. Mario Santiago, PhD, associate professor, and Eric Poeschla, professor and head of the division, organized the conference. Professor Mamuka Kvaratskhelia, PhD, was keynote speaker, presenting data on potential therapies for people living with HIV. Assistant Research Professor Kejun Guo, PhD, presented on “Interferon Resistance of Emerging SARS-CoV-2 Variants.” 

The Anschutz Medical Campus is continuing to offer the Care@Work by Care.com family care subscription program. The program was initiated in September 2020 to help members of our campus community find care for their families, while balancing professional and personal responsibilities. This program was provided during the first year of the pandemic to offer additional support to members of our campus community, and we are pleased that the campus is continuing to offer this important service. Many thanks to Chancellor Don Elliman and campus leaders because with their support we can provide premium Care.com subscription membership, as well as subsidized backup care, to benefits-eligible CU Anschutz and consolidated and administrative services employees who are 0.5 FTE and above. 

Chancellor Don Elliman will deliver the State of the Campus address at 4 p.m. Wednesday, October 19, in the Elliman Conference Center in the Anschutz Health Sciences Building. It is the first in-person State of the Campus address since 2019. All are welcome to join in person or to watch via livestream. 

Save the date: CU Medicine’s annual meeting is set for Tuesday, November 8, at 7:30 a.m. in Krugman Hall. By providing outstanding clinical care to our community, our faculty practice plan continues to be a source of strength for the School of Medicine. The meeting will include a business update from Brian T. Smith, MHA, executive director of CU Medicine, and a clinical affairs update from Anne Fuhlbrigge, MD, chief medical officer of CU Medicine. A zoom link will be provided prior to the meeting. 

During his last hours in orbit on the International Space Station last week, Kjell Lindgren, MD ’02, posted on Twitter an eye-in-the-sky image of our campus and this message: “Finishing this mission with over 300 total days in orbit. Thank you to the faculty, staff, friends and mentors @CUMedicalSchool @CUAnschutz for being an integral part of this journey!” 

The Center for Health AI hosted a pumpkin-carving competition last week, with some contestants rumored to be using image generators to design their jack-o-lanterns. The Department of Biomedical Informatics is holding a vote on Twitter for you to pick your favorite.

Have a good week,

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