Dear Colleague: 

Happy New Year!

We had a wonderful start to 2025 with a clinical priorities retreat where our department chairs, leading campus researchers, and top executives from UCHealth reviewed 20 programmatic areas where we can make a difference in the years ahead.

At the event on Monday, January 6, we evaluated our collective strengths and opportunities and charted a path for deeper discussions on key investments that will fuel our effort to be in the top 10 in 10 years. Chancellor Don Elliman joined us and during his comments he said he wouldn’t mind if we were in the top 5 in 5 years. No pressure!

The retreat was a crucial call to step up our game to do better for our patients, for our faculty, staff, and students, and for our community. We plan to continue the talks and will report back to you on our progress.

Working together we will get there!

Also, please remember to join us at the 2025 State of the School Address on Wednesday, January 29, at 4 p.m. in the Elliman Conference Center.  I’m looking forward to sharing my vision for our future.

Another Generous Gift
Carol M. Rumack, MD, Distinguished Professor of Radiology and Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education, and Barry H. Rumack, MD, Professor Emeritus of Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics, recently gave $1 million to establish the Drs. Carol and Barry Rumack Endowed Fund for Public Health. The Rumacks have dedicated more than 50 years of their professional lives to the University of Colorado through their research, teaching, administrative, and clinical work. They made a previous bequest of $1 million in 2017 to create the Barry and Carol Rumack Endowed Fund for Medical Education. We are grateful for their leadership, service, and generosity. Thank you! 

Faculty and Staff Updates
John Messenger, MD, Professor of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology, has been named the inaugural chair holder of the Interventional Cardiology Endowed Chair that was established with an anonymous gift of $2 million, announced last month by the Office of Advancement.

Lilia Cervantes, MD, MSCS, Professor of Medicine and Director of Immigrant Health, has been named to the National Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Advisory Council, through Dec. 31, 2026. The council advises, assists, consults with, and makes recommendations to the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Director of the NIDDK on matters related to the activities carried out by and through the Institute and the policies respecting these activities.

Connie Savor Price, MD, MBA, Chief Medical Officer at Denver Health and Professor of Medicine, announced last month that she is leaving Denver Health on January 20, after more than 22 years with Denver Health. Dr. Price served as CMO for nine years. Donna Lynne, DrPH, Chief Executive Officer for Denver Health, outlined Dr. Price’s many accomplishments in the announcement. We join Dr. Lynne in wishing Dr. Price continued success.

Kelly Knupp, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, was elected treasurer-elect of the American Epilepsy Society during the society’s annual meeting last month. The society has more than 5,200 members dedicated to advancing research and education for preventing, treating, and curing epilepsy.

Kimberly Muller has been named Vice Chancellor for Innovation and Biotechnology for the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. In this new role, she will focus on elevating our innovation enterprise and expanding our partnerships with industry. She will serve on the Chancellor’s Executive Cabinet, and she will continue as Executive Director of CU Innovations.

Recent Publications
Vineet Chopra, MD, Professor and Chair of Medicine, is a co-author of an original article published January 8 by The New England Journal of Medicine that describes findings of a randomized, controlled, superiority trial for patients referred for placement of peripherally inserted central catheters. The study evaluates risks related to new catheter materials.

Peter J. Dempsey, PhD, Professor of Pediatrics, and Justin Brumbaugh, PhD, Assistant Professor of Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology at CU Boulder, both members of the CU Cancer Center, are corresponding authors of an article, “H3K36 methylation regulates cell plasticity and regeneration in the intestinal epithelium,” published January 8 by Nature Cell Biology. Seven colleagues from our campus are co-authors.

Caley M. Orr, PhD, Associate Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology, is a co-author of a Data Descriptor paper published December 18 in Scientific Data that presents the largest 3D morphological dataset of its kind in primates. The dataset, compiled from specimens in physical collections at major museums and institutions, will help researchers investigate questions regarding primate evolution, including those relevant to human origins.

Jon G. Steller, MD, a clinician scientist with the Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, is corresponding author of an article published December 19 by npj Microgravity that studies the effects of galactic cosmic radiation on reproductive physiology. Co-authors include Theresa L. Powell, PhD, Professor of Pediatrics and Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Thomas Jansson, MD, PhD, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, who are Principal Investigators providing mentorship for the study.

Rafaela Avallone Mantelli, MD, Senior Research Coordinator for the Division of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine, is first author, and Marc Moss, MD, Professor of Medicine, is senior author of an article, “Creative Arts Therapy Reduces Psychological Distress in Non-Patient-Facing Healthcare Workers,” published online in December by The American Journal of Medicine.

Barry H. Rumack, MD, Professor Emeritus of Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics, is editor of Acetaminophen Toxicity, a book published late last year that provides detailed information on the risks of consuming the drug in various situations and effective treatments of toxicity. Authors include faculty, current and former fellows of the School of Medicine.

Mark Earnest, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine and Head of the Division of General Internal Medicine, is author of a Perspective article, “Tethered,” published December 7 by The New England Journal of Medicine that describes a patient and his mother who each had alcohol-related health issues.

Lilia Cervantes, MD, MSCS, Professor of Medicine and Director of Immigrant Health, is an author of a Perspective article published January 4 by The New England Journal of Medicine that expresses concern about an executive order in Texas requiring collection of patient citizenship data for its potential to erode trust between patients and clinicians and violate legal protections afforded to all patients.

Concurrent Coding at UCH
On January 21, UCH is going live with concurrent coding, an important initiative that allows for timely capture of important patient diagnoses while the patient is still hospitalized. This enables us to capture the complexity of our patient population, which has downstream impacts for our quality metrics and claims-based research that influences patient care. This timely capture will reduce the need for queries after discharge, which allows providers to address documentation issues while the details of a patient’s care is top of mind. Faculty should expect that the number of queries will increase in the initial phases of this work, with AI software in the background learning how to support improved documentation and coding efficiency long-term. If you have specific questions, please contact Deb Anoff, MD, Senior Medical Director of CDI and Coding, debra.anoff@uchealth.org. 

Job Listings
The School of Medicine seeks applications for the Program Director of the NIH-funded Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP). The MSTP Program Director will manage and enhance a dynamic dual-degree program dedicated to developing physician-scientists. The Program Director will set the strategic direction, lead curriculum development, and chair program committees. Duties also include overseeing the NIH T32 training grant, advancing the MSTP mission, and collaborating with the School of Medicine to drive innovative curriculum strategies. Additional information and application instructions are available in the job description. Questions should be directed to the chair of the search committee, Kristine Kuhn, MD, PhD, kristine.kuhn@cuanschutz.edu.

The Office of Medical Education seeks candidates for the Anatomy Content Director for the School of Medicine’s MD program. The Anatomy Content Director assists the development and delivery of the cadaver-based anatomy curriculum for first-year medical students. The job description includes a summary and application instructions. For questions, contact David Ecker, MD, david.ecker@cuanschutz.edu.

Legislative Updates
The Farley Health Policy Center will be offering monthly updates on the Colorado legislative session, beginning on Monday, January 27. The meetings will be noon-1 p.m. on the fourth Monday of each month, January through April, and the third Monday in May. To attend the updates, fill out the center’s legislative updates interest form. Questions? E-mail FarleyHealthPolicyCenter@cuanschutz.edu. 

Seminar for Early Career Women Faculty
The School of Medicine’s Office for Faculty Development will fund registration and travel expenses, up to $4,000 each, for two participants to attend the Early Career Women Faculty Leadership Development Seminar in Charlotte, N.C., on July 22-25. The seminar, sponsored by the Association of American Medical Colleges, is for women physicians and scientists with at least two years to eight years of experience. The curriculum covers career-building skills, such as communications, conflict management, financial acumen, and strategic leadership development for women in academic medicine. To apply, please submit CV, supervisor letter of support, and essay responses via the online submission site no later than 5 p.m. February 17. For questions, please contact Aimee Gardner, PhD, Associate Dean for Faculty Development, at aimee.gardner@cuanschutz.edu.

Science Talk at Tattered Cover
Michael McMurray, PhD, Associate Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology, and Alya Hussain, a PhD candidate in the Structural Biology, Biochemistry & Biophysics Program, will discuss “Low Hanging Fruit:  What wild yeast collected from Colorado cacti tell us about climate change,” at the Tattered Cover Book Store, 2526 E. Colfax Ave., Denver, on Tuesday, January 21 at 6 p.m. For more detail, see the Tattered Cover website.

No Message Next Week
Next Monday, January 20, is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, so there will be no Dean’s message on the holiday.

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