Dear Colleague: 

Earlier this month, I joined University of Colorado President Todd Saliman in visiting members of our congressional delegation. We emphasized the critical importance of the work of our faculty, staff, and partners as we made the case for federal support. The care provided on our campus and the breakthrough research in our laboratories and clinical trials have made our community and our country a better place.

The continuing governmental activity and orders are distracting and can be disheartening. The rhetoric has been hurtful and some of the federal government actions are harmful to our efforts to serve our patients and our community.

For us, it means we should double down on our efforts. This is an opportunity to make the case for our work, to explain why it makes a difference, and to never give up on fulfilling our mission. I want you to know that I am working incredibly hard to ensure that our school and campus can continue to advance care and healing and discovery.

I want to thank U.S. Reps. Jason Crow and Diana DeGette for personally making time in their hectic schedules to meet with me and President Saliman. I also thank Brett Roude, CU Assistant Vice President of Federal Relations and Health Policy, and his colleagues on the CU government relations team for coordinating our meetings.

For the latest updates, FAQs, and guidance on federal actions affecting our operations, visit the CU Anschutz Federal Transition Update web page. You should also read the Federal Government Transition Update posted by the CU Office of Government Relations. Last Friday’s update includes important information about matters that concern our campus community. Stay informed, stay connected, and trust that together, we'll continue advancing our academic, research, clinical, and public service missions. 

Congratulations, Dr. Santoro!
Nanette Santoro, MD, Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology, announced earlier this month that she will step down as chair of the department she has led for more than 15 years. Under her leadership, the department has grown three-fold in faculty and 10-fold in revenue. The department also has been a leader in NIH funding among our departments and is home to divisions of maternal fetal medicine and gynecological oncology that are among the largest in the country. We are fortunate that Dr. Santoro will continue in the role as we commence a national search for her successor. She also plans to continue her menopause clinical practice and research. Congratulations to Dr. Santoro on a fantastic tenure as chair!

Recent Publications
Mark Earnest, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine and Head of Division of General Internal Medicine, is author of a perspective article, “The Death of an Unlikeable Man,” published February 15 by The New England Journal of Medicine. In the article, Dr. Earnest describes a persistently unpleasant patient who dies while under his care when he was a resident physician, and he contemplates ways to find empathy for the most difficult patients.

Tyra L. Fainstad, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, is corresponding author of an article, “Secret Part-Time,” published February 13 by JAMA. The article describes difficulties of fulfilling work obligations and attending to family and personal needs. She writes, “If health care systems begin to respect and value every physician—not just for their output but for their humanity—perhaps a culture can be created where rest and resilience become possible.”

Luisa Mestroni, MD, Professor of Medicine, is a corresponding author of an original investigation, “Arrhythmic Risk Stratification of Carriers of Filamin C Truncating Variants,” published February 12 by JAMA Cardiology that suggests a novel risk predictive model may aid clinicians in estimating the arrhythmic risk and guide primary prevention implantable cardioverter-defibrillator implantation in carriers of these variants.

Catherine G. Velopulos, MD, MHS, Professor of Surgery, is corresponding author of a viewpoint article, “Quantifying Social Vulnerability and Its Impact on Health Care Delivery, Payment, and Performance,” published February 12 by JAMA Surgery.

T. Rajendra Kumar, PhD, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Neelanjan Mukherjee, PhD, Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, are corresponding authors of a research article, “Identification of FSH-regulated and estrous stage-specific transcriptional networks in mouse ovaries,” published February 10 by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study may eventually allow researchers to identify potential targets for fertility enhancement or blockade in women. Four co-authors are from our campus.

Lawrence A. Haber, MD, Professor of Clinical Practice of Medicine, is corresponding author of an article published February 10 by the Journal of General Internal Medicine. Marisa Echaniz, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, is a co-author. Both are members of the Division of Hospital Medicine at Denver Health. The article considers the physiologic effects of overnight work on clinicians, the quality of medical care delivered by nocturnists in floor and intensive care units, the impact of nocturnist presence on trainee supervision and graduated autonomy in academic settings, and prevalent staffing models.

Stephanie Gold, MD, Associate Professor of Family Medicine and Scholar at the Farley Health Policy Center, is corresponding author on an original research article, “How Are You Doing… Really? A Review of Whole Person Health Assessments,” published in January in The Milbank Quarterly. Four co-authors are from our campus.

Don B. Smith, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor of Neurology, is a co-author of a research article published February 12 by Neurology that affirms limited efficacy of epidural steroid injections in reducing pain and disability in cervical and lumbar radiculopathies and possibly in lumbar spinal stenosis, largely in the short term.

Linda Zittleman, MSPH, Senior Instructor of Family Medicine and co-Director of the High Plains Research Network, is corresponding author of a research article published February 5 by the Journal of Primary Care & Community Health that describes the feasibility and acceptability of the Changing Our Mental and Emotional Trajectory (COMET) program for people living in rural communities. Eight co-authors are affiliated with the department’s High Plains Research Network/COMET team.

Katherine N. Dickerman, MSN, ANP-BC, Associate Director of Education and Professional Development of the Office of Advanced Practice and Senior Instructor of Medicine, is corresponding author of a qualitative research article, published January 31 by the Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. The article describes APPs' perspectives of their workplace experience, which was gathered through focus groups conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nine co-authors are from our campus.

Faculty Updates
Samantha Holden, MD, Associate Professor of Neurology and Vice Chair of Outpatient Neurology Services, has been named inaugural chairholder of the Penny S. Burke Endowed Chair in Behavioral Neurology, established with a $2 million gift from Timothy Burke in honor of his late wife. The Office of Advancement announced the creation of the new endowed chair earlier this month.

Alex Reed, PsyD, Associate Professor of Family Medicine and Director of Behavioral Health Education of the Family Medicine Residency, has been nominated to the State of Colorado eHealth Commission.

Help Wanted
The Office of Medical Education is seeking COMPASS Guides (0.20 FTE) and COMPASS Support Guides (0.05 FTE) for the MD program’s Trek Curriculum. COMPASS Guides serve as longitudinal coaches for student development and as dedicated educators within the Trek curriculum. Each COMPASS Guide works with approximately 10–20 students, typically onboarding 10 new students every other year. The start date is July 1, 2025. Details and application information are in the job posting.

The Developing Our Clinical Skills (DOCS) curriculum is searching for small group coaches and coach substitutes. DOCS coach and coach substitutes will facilitate a small group of eight (8) students and utilize a “coach approach” when delivering the course’s curriculum. In addition to teaching students, DOCS coach and coach substitutes will observe students’ clinical skills, deliver individualized feedback, evaluate student performance, and provide effective remediation. Details and application information are in the job posting.

Save the Date
The CU Anschutz Spring Commencement Ceremonies will be held Monday, May 19, 2025. School of Medicine faculty are encouraged to attend to show support for our graduates. Your registration is helpful for planning purposes even if you have your own regalia. You can rent regalia at no cost during registration - be sure to order by the April 9 deadline to receive your proper alma mater hood. Register online.

Oilfield Roughneck to University President
CU President Emeritus Bruce Benson is the subject of a splendid new biography that traces his life from his upbringing on a World War II-era farm outside Chicago through his 11-year tenure as the university’s leader.

Bruce Benson: Oilfield Roughneck to University President by Ken McConnellogue, retired CU vice president for communication, chronicles the milestones of President Benson’s life and describes his leadership style that led our university to so many peaks, including records in attendance, degrees awarded, fundraising, research funding, and economic impact.

President Benson and First Lady Marcy Benson were exceptional leaders for our campus. With business acumen and fundraising prowess, President Benson pushed the university to higher levels of excellence. For our school, he backed scholarship programs, secured philanthropic support, and contributed strong leadership. Mrs. Benson was a force in all her activities, including as a board member of Children’s Hospital Colorado and a key supporter of the research of Huntington Potter, PhD, Professor of Neurology and Director of the CU Alzheimer's and Cognition Center.

We are grateful for all they have done to prepare us for a bright future!

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