Dean's Weekly Message
December 15, 2025
Dear Colleague:
Congratulations, Fall 2025 Graduates!
Last Friday, I had the pleasure of delivering congratulations to the 2025 Class of Physical Therapy graduates at their convocation ceremony.
What an extraordinary group! We have one of the country’s best PT programs and we are sending yet another talented and compassionate group out to provide outstanding healing care.
Among them was Yesenia Maddaford, who was inspired by the care her mother received from a physical therapist after a stroke. Her mother was happiest when that physical therapist helped her learn to walk again. Yesenia says: "I want to do for others what my mom’s PT did for her. I want to help improve the lives of others in a way that is meaningful for me and for them."
Many thanks to all our faculty and administrative team in the Physical Therapy Program, particularly Michael Harris-Love, PT, MPT, DSc, Program Director and Associate Dean of Physical Therapy. We also honored Associate Professor Dana Judd, PT, DPT, PhD, who received the Chancellor’s Teaching Recognition Award, and Assistant Professor Lauren Hinrichs-Kinney, PT, DPT, PhD, who received the President’s Excellence in Teaching Award.
On Saturday, December 13, we celebrated all our Fall 2025 graduates in the PT and Anesthesiologist Assistant programs at the fall commencement ceremony at the Colorado Convention Center. Congratulations to all!
New Gift Creates Student Scholarship Fund
We are honored to share that a generous gift from Michael Carius, MD, FACEP, and Kathleen Carius has established the Michael Carius, MD, FACEP, Endowed Medical Student Scholarship Fund within the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine.
A proud alumnus of the School of Medicine class of 1973, Dr. Carius has enjoyed a distinguished career in clinical and administrative medicine including service as a flight surgeon in the United States Navy and Air Force. He has practiced emergency medicine in Connecticut for more than four decades and held leadership roles in numerous national medical organizations. The establishment of this scholarship fund reflects Dr. Carius’s deep gratitude for the education he received at CU Anschutz and his commitment to giving back to the next generation of medical professionals.
The Michael Carius, MD, FACEP, Endowed Medical Student Scholarship Fund will provide crucial financial support for students as they pursue their medical training. It is Dr. Carius’s intent that this scholarship will also foster a spirit of pride and institutional appreciation for the leading-edge opportunities that are a hallmark of our School of Medicine educational experience. Through his investment, Dr. Carius wishes to inspire scholarship recipients to carry forward the CU Anschutz legacy of excellence.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to Dr. and Mrs. Carius for their generosity and to Jamie Mager, Kara Padgett, and Vanessa Duran in the Office of Advancement for their partnership in making this meaningful gift possible.
GRANT Committee
Our campus has adopted new technical guidance and a review rubric to support investigators in navigating recent NIH policies related to research involving specific demographic groups, including health disparities. This marks a significant step forward in enabling research that is responsive to evolving government expectations.
This important work was led by the School of Medicine’s Grant Alignment for Non-Federal Support (GRANT) Committee, whose efforts shaped the documents now being used across campus. I want to especially recognize Adit Ginde, MD, MPH, Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Research and GRANT committee executive sponsor, and Lilia Cervantes, MD, Professor of Medicine and GRANT committee chair, for their leadership. We are also deeply grateful to the GRANT committee members who volunteered their time and expertise:
- Sarah Brewer, PhD, MPA – Assistant Professor of Family Medicine; ACCORDS (Adult & Child Center for Outcomes Research & Delivery Science)
- Lisa Ross DeCamp, MD, MSPH – Associate Professor of Pediatrics; ACCORDS
- Amy Huebschmann, MD, MS – Professor of Medicine/General Internal Medicine; Ludeman Family Center for Women’s Health Research; ACCORDS
- Hillary Lum, MD, PhD – Professor of Medicine/Geriatrics; ACCORDS
- Mónica Muñoz Torres, PhD – Associate Professor of Biomedical Informatics
- Abigail Rolbiecki, PhD, MPH, MSW – Associate Professor of Family Medicine
- Jacqueline Ward-Gaines, MD – Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine; Health Opportunities and Professional Engagement (HOPE) Office; Director of Graduate Medical Education Recruitment, Engagement, and Retention
As NIH and other federal sponsors continue to refine their guidance, we encourage investigators to monitor the Federal Updates for Researchers and stay in close contact with the School of Medicine Office of Research to ensure proposals meet evolving requirements. Questions can be directed to [email protected].
Faculty Update
Von Samedi, MD, PhD, Professor of Pathology, has been awarded the 2025 ASCP Mastership by the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) at its annual meeting in November. The designation recognizes members who have made significant contributions to the field of pathology and laboratory medicine and to ASCP.
Recent Publications
Adit A. Ginde, MD, MPH, Professor of Emergency Medicine and Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Research, is a co-author of an original article, “Ketamine or Etomidate for Tracheal Intubation of Critically Ill Adults,” published December 9 by The New England Journal of Medicine. Nine CU Anschutz researchers are co-authors. Additional details are available in this article in the campus newsroom.
Kathryn M. McKenney, MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, is a co-author of a research letter, “Trends in Vitamin K Administration Among Infants,” published December 8 by JAMA.
Leigh Perreault, MD, Adjoint Professor of Medicine, is corresponding author of an article, “Implementation and effectiveness of a care process to prioritize weight management in primary care: a stepped-wedge cluster-randomized trial,” published December 11 by Nature Medicine. Nine co-authors are from the School of Medicine.
Neelanjan Mukherjee, PhD, Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Heide L. Ford, PhD, Chair of Pharmacology, and Rui Zhao, PhD, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, are corresponding authors of an article, “eIF3d and eIF3e mediate selective translational control of hypoxia that can be inhibited by small molecules,” published December 23 by Cell Reports. Twelve co-authors are from our campus and three are from CU Boulder.
Talisa E de Carlo Forest, MD, Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology, is corresponding author of an article, “Association between systemic complement levels and choroidal thickness in advanced non-neovascular age-related macular degeneration,” published December 6 by Scientific Reports. Twelve co-authors are from our school.
Alison L.B. Shapiro, PhD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, and Susan L. Johnson, PhD, Professor of Pediatrics, are co-authors of an article, “Child, Caregiver, and Household Factors Associated With Children’s Dietary Diversity During the Complementary Feeding Period,” published the November issue of the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.
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 Anschutz School of Medicine
The Dean’s weekly message is an email news bulletin from John H. Sampson, MD, PhD, MBA, Dean of the CU Anschutz School of Medicine, that is distributed to inform CU Anschutz 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.
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