Dear Colleague: 

We recently received top honors for our support of women in academic medicine.

Earlier this month, the Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine program, known as ELAM, bestowed a special award on our school: the Institutional Award for the Advancement of Women in Medicine in Science.

This is fantastic recognition for our school and faculty!

ELAM is based at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia and is one of the country’s premier fellowship programs for faculty to gain the professional and personal skills needed to lead and manage in health care professions.

ELAM alums celebrating the CU School of Medicine’s Institutional
Award for the Advancement of Women in Medicine in Science.

We are the proud home of three dozen ELAM alums, with many of them now serving as senior associate deans, department chairs, and center directors.

“ELAM is considered to be one of the best leadership training programs in the country, and the high participation rate in the ELAM program and the great success enjoyed by our ELAM grads is remarkable,” Judy Regensteiner, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Director of the Ludeman Family Center for Women’s Health Research said in an article published in the School of Medicine newsroom.

Many thanks to Lotte Dyrbye, MD, MHPE, Senior Associate Dean of Faculty and Chief Well-being Officer, for accepting the award on behalf of the school at the ELAM 30^th anniversary gala on May 1.

The historic focus of ELAM has been on women faculty, and our school has been a steadfast champion of providing professional development opportunities for women faculty members. More than 500 people have received training in our programs. CU also has been extraordinarily successful in recruiting women as department chairs and senior leaders.

Dr. Dyrbye explained the significance of the award: “In the context of today’s shifting landscape, this award is a powerful affirmation of our enduring commitment to advancing women in leadership—not through slogans, but through sustained action, measurable progress, and unwavering support for equity in academic medicine.”

Recent Publications
Heide Ford, PhD, Professor and CU Medicine Endowed Chair of Pharmacology, is corresponding author of a research article, “EYA3 regulation of NF-κB and CCL2 suppresses cytotoxic NK cells in the premetastatic niche to promote TNBC metastasis,” published May 7 by Science Advances. Fifteen co-authors are from our campus and one is from CU Boulder.

Julie Siegenthaler, PhD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, and Santos Franco, PhD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, are corresponding authors of an article, “Meningeal-derived retinoic acid regulates neurogenesis via suppression of Notch and Sox2,” published May 27 by Cell Reports. Seven co-authors, including Lori Sussel, PhD, Professor of Pediatrics and Director of Research at the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes, are from our campus.

Jessica C. Nelson, PhD, Assistant Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology, is corresponding author of a research article, “Cadherin-16 regulates acoustic sensory gating in zebrafish through endocrine signaling,” published May 2 by PLOS Biology. Four co-authors are from our campus.

Dean's Distinguished Speaker
Megan A. Cooper, MD, PhD, the Anthony R. French, MD, PhD, Endowed Professor of Pediatrics and Division Chief of Pediatric Rheumatology/Immunology at Washington University School of Medicine, will deliver the Dean’s Distinguished Seminar lecture, “Reconsidering Genetic Mechanisms of Inborn Errors of Immunity,” at 3 p.m. Tuesday, May 13, in Hensel Phelps West Auditorium. A reception in the first-floor atrium will occur after the lecture. The Dean’s Distinguished Seminar Series brings notable scholars to campus to discuss their work. All are invited. You can find more information about this and other events on the campus events calendar, where you can also sign up for event notifications.

Tattered Cover Talk
Kat Terwelp, PhD student in the Biomedical Sciences/Computational Biosciences Programs; Charmie Vang, PhD student in the Microbiology Program; and Janani Ravi, PhD, Assistant Professor of Biomedical Informatics, will present “Bugged by Resistance: Teaching Machines to Outsmart Superbugs,” at the Tattered Cover Book Store, 2526 E. Colfax Ave., Denver, on Tuesday, May 20, at 6 p.m.

Governmental Updates
Keep up on governmental updates at the CU System Federal Updates Transition Updates webpage and the campus webpage.

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