Dear Colleague:  

DAWN Health, a student-run free clinic founded in 2013, is a great cause that can always use your support, and with its upcoming annual fundraising dinner and silent auction on October 12, now is a great time to show your support. Please consider buying a ticket or sponsoring a table. You can also donate to DAWN on the Colorado Gives page.
 
The clinic’s name defines the mission: Dedicated to Aurora’s Wellness & Needs. The clinic offers care to uninsured members of the Aurora community. In 2023, DAWN moved to beautiful space in the CU Anschutz Health and Wellness Center, where it hosts weekly primary care and pharmacy clinics and monthly specialty clinics. Patients also receive support to address social determinants that contribute to their health needs, and volunteer care coordinators connect them with community organizations for support.
 
More than 300 clinical and preclinical student volunteers, organized in workgroups and led by student directors, provide DAWN’s services. Students gain valuable experience taking care of vulnerable members of the community. This care is possible thanks to selfless efforts of volunteer faculty and community clinicians who supervise care for patients while also educating student volunteers. You can get involved by completing the volunteer interest form.
 
DAWN fulfills its mission thanks to generous support from the Chancellor’s Office, our School of Medicine, our Departments of Medicine and Family Medicine, and our clinical partner, UCHealth. Private donations are another key source of support. I encourage you to give and get involved.

Faculty Updates
Emmy Betz, MD, MPH, professor of emergency medicine and director of the Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative (FIPI), describes the team’s work in a video that was posted in late August during the Military Health System Research Symposium 2024. FIPI was honored with the Outstanding Research Accomplishments team award during the meeting. Ian Stanley, PhD, assistant research professor of emergency medicine and psychological health lead for the Center for COMBAT Research, and Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Kathleen Flarity, DNP, PhD, associate clinical professor of emergency medicine and deputy director of the COMBAT Center, are also featured in the video discussing FIPI’s vital work. An article in the Department of Emergency Medicine covers the award and other presentations at the meeting.

Brandi Freeman, MD, associate professor and vice chair of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the Department of Pediatrics, has been named an inaugural fellow in the State Health Policy Fellowship program of the National Academy of Medicine. Starting this month, Brandi and two fellows from other medical schools will spend a year in state legislative and executive branch offices in Colorado, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin as contributors to the development and implementation of state health policies and programs.

Erika Freitas, PhD, associate professor and assistant dean of diversity, equity, and inclusion at the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, has been named director of the CU Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education. Erika is a talented and innovative educator with experience in community building and leadership. She joined CU last year from Regis University, where she designed and implemented the curriculum for interprofessional practice and education, and diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Thanks to Suzanne Brandenburg, MD, professor of medicine, who strengthened the center during her leadership tenure.

David A. Schwartz, MD, Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Immunology and director of the Program to Advance Physician Scientists and Translational Research, has been named the 2024 winner of the Alton Ochsner Award Relating Smoking and Disease. The award announcement recognizes David for his research on how genetic and environmental factors, including smoking, contribute to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

The Colorado Integrated Behavioral Health Plus (CIBH+) program, a collaboration between psychiatry and family medicine, received a 2024 Integrated Behavioral Health Award from the Association of American Medical Colleges. CIBH+ enhances care provided at seven family medicine clinics by incorporating comprehensive physical, behavioral, and psychosocial support. The program reaches up to 90,000 patients annually.

Lauren Nicholas, PhD, associate professor of medicine, has been awarded a five-year, $3.1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study how enrollment in Medicare Advantage affects care for patients with dementia and their families. Medicare Advantage is the managed care alternative to traditional Medicare and disproportionally enrolls minorities and low-income beneficiaries.

Adam Green, MD, associate professor of pediatrics, has been awarded a five-year, $2.4 million grant by the National Institutes of Health to study causes, origins, prevention, and treatment of pediatric radiation-induced glioma. Pediatric radiation-induced glioma is a currently incurable secondary cancerous brain tumor that affects children who have previously received cranial radiotherapy, most commonly for leukemia or a separate, primary brain tumor.

Jay Lemery, MD, professor of emergency medicine and director of the Climate and Health Program, is corresponding author of a JAMA Insights article, “Climate Change and Preventable Injuries,” published September 4 by JAMA. “Health care workers and organizations can communicate to their patients and communities the importance of early warning systems to mitigate disaster risks,” write Jay and his co-authors Bhargavi Chekuri, MD, assistant professor of family medicine and co-director of the Diploma in Climate Medicine Program, and Terry O’Connor, MD, former co-director of the diploma program, who died in May in an avalanche in Idaho’s backcountry.

Christopher D. Baker, MD, professor of pediatrics, is a co-author of a research letter published August 28 by JAMA Network Open that examines rates of influenza and COVID-19 vaccination among children receiving long-term home ventilation.

James S. Barry, MD, professor of pediatrics, is a co-author of an article published August 27 by the Journal of Perinatology that surveys perceptions of artificial intelligence among pediatric health care professionals.

Philip J. Dittmer, PhD, instructor of pharmacology, is corresponding author, and Mark Dell’Acqua, PhD, professor of pharmacology, is co-author of a research article published August 23 by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that advances understanding of long-lasting, input-specific adaptations to synaptic contacts between neurons.

Tatiana G. Kutateladze, PhD, professor of pharmacology, is the corresponding author of an article, “Coaching LSD1 to ignore acetylation,” published August 28 in Nature Chemical Biology.  Joshua C. Black, PhD, associate professor of pharmacology, is co-author.

David M. Higgins, MD, MPH, instructor of pediatrics, and Sean T. O’Leary, MD, MPH, professor of pediatrics, are co-authors of an editorial, “The Dire Need for Surveillance of Vaccine Hesitancy in the United States,” published September 4 by the American Journal of Public Health. David and Sean are investigators with the Adult and Child Center for Outcomes Research and Delivery Science.

Russell Glasgow, PhD, research professor of family medicine and director of the dissemination and implementation science program at the Adult and Child Center for Outcomes Research and Delivery Science, is corresponding author of an article published August 31 in Global Implementation Research and Applications that details the evolution of the evaluation framework for addressing health equity, and the future uses in research and practice. Three campus colleagues are co-authors.

Ninety-five School of Medicine faculty members were inducted last week into the Academy of Medical Educators, a dedicated community focused on inspiring, developing, recognizing, and supporting our faculty educators. These individuals were selected for their strong commitment to excellence in medical education, demonstrated through achievements in teaching, curriculum development and instructional design, and educational leadership. Check out the new membership directory, which showcases these exceptional educators within our community.

Mentorship Academy Registration
Registration is now open for the Mentorship Academy, which will be held Monday, November 4, at the Hyatt Regency Aurora-Denver Conference Center, 13200 E 14th Pl., Aurora. The all-day, in-person-only event will include Ted Talk-style sessions, a keynote speaker, and breakout rooms to facilitate discussion and provide actionable advice and guidance for faculty and staff interested in developing their mentorship skills. You can learn more about the program at the Mentorship Academy website.

Tattered Cover Talk
The Office of Research Education (ORE) on Tuesday, September 17, continues its partnership with the Tattered Cover Book Store to provide talks on the basic science featured in current books. Aimee Bernard, PhD, assistant professor of immunology and microbiology, and Gabriella Albert and Marina Good, who are PhD students in the immunology program, will lead a session about “Your Shot at Protection: Vaccines Train the Immune System to Fight Disease.” The event is at 6 p.m. at the Tattered Cover Book Store, 2526 E. Colfax Ave., Denver.

Have a good week,

John H. Sampson, MD, PhD, MBA
Richard D. Krugman Endowed Chair
Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs and
Dean, University of Colorado School of Medicine