Dear Colleague: 

President Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act bill into law July 4. The measure passed the House of Representatives on July 3 by a vote of 218-214, and the Senate by a vote of 51-50. The legislation implements the President’s domestic policy priorities and includes $4.5 trillion in tax cuts and extensions along with $350 billion for border and national security initiatives. 
 
The legislation is offset by cuts to many programs critical to the CU School of Medicine, including:  

• Limits on Medicaid Provider taxes
• Establishing work requirements for Medicaid  
• Limiting graduate student borrowing
• Increased Medicare redetermination   
• Limiting state-directed payment models  
• Restricting non-US citizens use of Medicaid 

The CU Federal Relations Team has put together a summary of what is included in the final bill: https://www.cu.edu/blog/government-relations/cu-summary-one-big-beautiful-bill-act. We remain concerned about many of these provisions and will be working closely as the federal and state government is set to implement them. 

Leadership with Children's Hospital Colorado
To better recognize the role that our partnership with Children’s Hospital Colorado plays in our physician practice and School of Medicine, the dean's office and the leadership of CHCO have come together to design a leadership structure that parallels that of our cognate clinical chairs.

Individuals will be appointed by the clinical chairs to represent their interests as part of a new child health leadership council. In many ways, while each of these individuals will still report to a cognate clinical chair, they will operate as the chair’s delegate at CHCO for all department operational and financial issues. In addition, this new group will help facilitate rapid adoption and implementation of important joint strategic goals.

We will work quickly and effectively to solve operational issues within CHCO and the School of Medicine that impact our child health providers so they can focus more efficiently and effectively on providing excellent care for our patients and the communities we serve. It is anticipated that this group will be named in the coming weeks and begin meeting soon.

New Chief of Transplant Surgery
Congratulations to Trevor Nydam, MD, Professor of Surgery, who has been appointed Chief of the Division of Transplant Surgery and Clinical Director of the UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital Transplant Center.

Dr. Nydam has been an integral member of our transplant center since 2010, when he joined us as a transplant fellow under Igal Kam, MD. Over the years, he has distinguished himself as an exceptional surgeon, researcher, and mentor, making significant contributions to the advancement of transplant science.

His research focuses on clinical trials in ex-vivo perfusion of liver allografts and the improvement of renal function following liver transplantation, and he has earned multiple grants and produced over 80 peer-reviewed publications. He’s also leading efforts to improve liver allograft utilization through normothermic regional perfusion and developing minimally invasive surgical techniques to support living donors.

Beyond his academic accomplishments, Dr. Nydam has been instrumental in shaping and elevating our transplant program. His innovative approaches have led to improved patient outcomes and more efficient surgical procedures. His commitment to his patients and deep compassion have left a lasting impact on the lives of those in his care. Through his guidance and leadership, he has helped foster a culture of excellence and collaboration in this division and department.

We look forward to his continued leadership and vision as he takes on this important role.

Save the Date: Town Hall on August 6
Please join me for my next town hall on Wednesday, August 6, at 8 a.m. I will be hosting Naresh Mandava, MD, interim Senior Associate Dean for Strategic Advancement. We will provide important updates for the campus, and Dr. Mandava will share his vision for advancing philanthropy to sustain and promote the School of Medicine mission. Watch your email for an invitation to submit questions for us and plan to tune in online.

Recent Publications
Steven H. Abman, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, is senior author of a report by The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health Commission on the future of neonatology published online on June 25. The commission, which included more than 100 advisers from around the world, calls for regulatory agencies, governments, funders, industry partners, and clinical researchers to invest in effective pathways for drug and medical device development and to unite in collaborations with patients, families, and advocacy groups.

Matthew T. Witkowski, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, is a co-author of an article, “Bioengineered immunocompetent preclinical trial-on-chip tool enables screening of CAR T cell therapy for leukaemia,” published July 1 by Nature Biomedical Engineering.

Kenneth L. Tyler, MD, Professor and Chair of Neurology, is a corresponding author of an article, “A rationally designed 2C inhibitor prevents enterovirus D68-infected mice from developing paralysis,” published July 1 by Nature Communications. Four co-authors are from our Department of Neurology.

Paula Dias Maia, MD, Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellow with Department of Pediatrics, is corresponding author of a basic science article, “Development of late pulmonary hypertension after antenatal inflammation in experimental bronchopulmonary dysplasia,” published June 28 by Pediatric Research. Six co-authors, including Steven H. Abman, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, are from our campus.

Joshua A. Barocas, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, is a co-author of an original investigation, “Health and Economic Outcomes of Addressing Encampments of Individuals Using Opioids,” published June 27 by JAMA Network Open.

Jennie Buchanan, MD, Professor of Emergency Medicine at Denver Health and Hospital Authority, is a co-author of an original investigation, “Disparities in Treatment and Referral After an Opioid Overdose Among Emergency Department Patients,” published July 2 by JAMA Network Open.

Faculty Updates
Debosmita Sardar, PhD, and Justin O’Hare, PhD, Assistant Professors of Pharmacology, have received Klingenstein Fellowships in Neuroscience, which support early career investigators in research that may lead to a better understanding of neurological and psychiatric disorders. Klingenstein Fellows receive $150,000 per year for three years to support their work. Dr. Sardar’s lab studies how glial cells and epigenetics play together to shape the sense of smell. Dr. O’Hare’s lab is studying how calcium links synapses during learning and memory.

Tattered Cover Talk and Taste Test July 15
Luciana Vargas, a PhD candidate in Medical Genomics, Michael Ntrakwa, a PhD student, and Joanne Cole, PhD, Assistant Professor of Biomedical Informatics who teaches in the Human Medical Genetics and Genomics PhD program, will present “Taste of Genetics,” at the Tattered Cover Book Store, 2526 E. Colfax Ave., Denver at 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 15. The talk will cover how genetic variation shapes our biology and health. The presentation will include a taste test to explore genetic sensitivity to bitter-tasting compounds, such as the ones found in broccoli. The talk is part of an ongoing series offered by the Office of Research Education.

Congratulations Graduates and Welcome Interns!
Summer is a special time of year for the Office of Graduate Medical Education and the more than 1,300 interns, residents and fellows that train here on the CU Anschutz Medical Campus.

For new interns, this is the next big step in their medical career. For residents and fellows new to our campus, it is an exciting transition to a new medical community and a new team of colleagues. For those continuing in their training, it means a new year filled with new possibilities. And for residents and fellows completing their GME training, it is the moment that they’ve been working toward for years.

Cardiology Fellows 2025

This year, we welcome more than 200 new interns and 225 new residents and fellows—nearly 75% of whom are brand new to Colorado—to our community. The energy, compassion, and intelligence these new trainees bring to caring for patients is at the heart of what makes CU Anschutz a top-rated medical campus, and we can’t wait to get to work with them.

At the same time, we bid farewell to nearly 400 graduating residents and fellows who have completed their training and a transformative period of their careers. We send hearty congratulations to our GME graduates! It has been a privilege to work with you.

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