Dear Colleague: 

Clinical Funds Flow Education Coming Your Way!
At the last town hall, we talked briefly about the clinical funds flow work that has been going on. We’ve worked closely with University of Colorado Hospital leaders, rethinking how resources flow to and through our clinical departments. This effort has led to the implementation of a new clinical funds flow model, which went into effect on July 1.

We know this shift has sparked questions, and in some cases, concern. Change can do that—especially when it touches on operations, finances, and the way we work together across departments.

That’s why we’re coming to you.

We want to ensure transparency, provide clarity, and give everyone a chance to engage in real conversation about this new model.

In the coming weeks, you’ll hear directly from me and/or Tom Gronow, EdD, MHA, President and CEO, University of Colorado Hospital; Vineet Chopra, MD, MSc, Interim Executive Vice Dean - Clinical | Research | Quality; Pradipta Komanduri, MHA, Chief Operating Officer of University of Colorado Hospital; and your department chair as we share an overview of the new model and what it means for your department.

We’re doing this because we believe:

• Everyone deserves to receive the same, accurate information.
• You should hear directly from the leaders involved in this process.
• Your department should understand how the model applies in context.
• You should have space to ask questions and hear direct answers.

This is important, and you deserve our time and attention. These conversations are a reflection of the kind of leadership we value—present, transparent, and committed to collaboration.

We look forward to seeing you.

In Memoriam
Joshua Travers, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in the Division of Cardiology since 2017, died July 6 in a car accident. Dr. Travers made valuable contributions to the field of molecular cardiology, particularly to understanding the mechanisms that drive cardiac fibrosis. In 2020, Dr. Travers was a finalist for the prestigious Katz Basic Science Research Prize from the American Heart Association. He won the 2022 International Society of Heart Research (ISHR) Young Investigator Competition, and in 2024 he was a finalist for the ISHR ECI Leadership Award. Dr. Travers was most proud of being a dedicated and loving husband, son, and friend. He had an infectious smile and left a lasting impact on all who knew him. His obituary will be updated for service information. A GoFundMe account has been established to help support Dr. Travers’s wife, Jess, who was severely injured in the accident.

Cheers to Drs. Fuhlbrigge and Buttrick!
We celebrated the leadership and service of Anne Fuhlbrigge, MD, MS, and Peter Buttrick, MD, last Thursday evening. It was a great pleasure to recognize their accomplishments during their decade-long tenure as Senior Associate Deans for our school. It was a period of remarkable growth and transformation for our school, and we are grateful for their contributions.

Recent Publications
Mark Earnest, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine and Head of the Division of General Internal Medicine, and Prateeti Khazanie, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, are co-authors of a perspective article, “The Second Life of Jacqui B.,” published July 12 by The New England Journal of Medicine.

Curtis J. Henry, PhD, Associate Professor of Immunology and Microbiology, and James DeGregori, PhD, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, are corresponding authors of a review article, “Modelling the ageing dependence of cancer evolutionary trajectories,” published July 10 by Nature Reviews Cancer. Dr. Henry is Deputy Associate Director, and Dr. DeGregori is Deputy Director of the CU Cancer Center.

Christopher P. Ford, PhD, Professor of Pharmacology, is corresponding author of a research article, “Discrete spatiotemporal encoding of striatal dopamine transmission,” published July 10 by Science. Andrew G. Yee, PhD, postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Ford’s lab, is a co-author.

Thomas W. Flaig, MD, Vice Chancellor for Research and Professor of Medicine, along with members of his lab and others from our campus, are co-authors of a research article, “Soft Extrudable Dendritic Particles with Nanostructured Tendrils for Local Adhesion and Drug Release to Bladder Cancers,” published July 4 by Advanced Materials.

Santos J. Franco, PhD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, is corresponding author of an article, “Epigenetic priming of neural progenitors by Notch enhances Sonic hedgehog signaling and establishes gliogenic competence,” published July 1 and featured on the cover of Genes & Development. Eleven co-authors are from our campus, including Bruce H. Appel, PhD, Professor of Pediatrics and Section Head of Developmental Biology, and Charles G. Sagerstrom, PhD, Professor of Pediatrics and Vice Chair for Basic Research. 

Erin Wright-Kelly, DrPH, Research Associate, and Leslie Barnard, DrPH, Research Assistant Professor, both with the Colorado School of Public Health and the School of Medicine’s Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative, are co-authors of an original investigation, “Owner Willingness to Temporarily Store Firearms With Firearm Retailers and Law Enforcement Agencies,” published July 16 by JAMA Network Open.

Matthew J. Sikora, PhD, Associate Professor of Pathology, is corresponding author of a review, “Radiation therapy for lobular breast cancer: opportunities and challenges for leveraging radiosensitivity,” published July 10 by NPJ Breast Cancer. Michael R. Boysen, MD ’25, is a co-author.

Halis K. Akturk, MD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, and Janet K. Snell-Bergeon, PhD, MPH, Professor of Pediatrics, and both members of the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes, are co-authors of an original article, “Semaglutide in Adults with Type 1 Diabetes and Obesity,” published June 23 by NEJM Evidence.

Steven H. Abman, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, and Christopher Baker, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, are co-authors of a clinical research article, “Allergy and atopic phenotype are associated with earlier gestation and severity of respiratory symptoms in bronchopulmonary dysplasia,” published July 11 by Pediatric Research.

Negotiation Workshop for Clinicians & Scientists
The CU Thrive: Offices for the Faculty Experience are sponsoring a workshop for clinicians and scientists to sharpen their negotiation skills. Author Sara Laschever, MA, will lead sessions that offer the tools, mindset, and practice to negotiate effectively. The workshop for clinicians will be held Monday, September 15, and for scientists on Tuesday, September, 16. Register online.

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