Dean's Weekly Message

November 10, 2025

Dear Colleague: 

Congratulations, Dr. Guntupalli!
I am pleased to announce that Saketh R. Guntupalli, MD, Professor and Director of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology, has been named Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, effective November 12.

Dr. Guntupalli, who joined the CU Anschutz School of Medicine faculty in 2012, was selected after a national search because of his exceptional accomplishments in fulfilling the School of Medicine’s mission of providing excellence in clinical care, research, and education. 

Dr. Guntupalli is a highly regarded leader in our school, who is renowned for his exceptional care; research productivity; and his dedication to patients, trainees, and colleagues. I know he has the drive and determination to lead our department into the Top 10.

Dr. Guntupalli has led robust growth in the clinical operations of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology, which is now the largest group in the Rocky Mountain West and one of the largest in the U.S. During his six years as division director, he presided over substantial growth, increasing market share and growing the division from five faculty members to 12 gynecologic oncologists. The division has opened nine additional clinical sites and grown revenue substantially. The addition of sites has provided delivery of health care in previously underserved rural communities.

An article in the School of Medicine newsroom describes Dr. Guntupalli’s many accomplishments and our excitement about his appointment to the role.

I want to express my gratitude to Nanette Santoro, MD, for her impressive 15 years as our chair. 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.

Thanks also to Yuri Agrawal, MD, MPH, Chair of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery, who chaired our search committee, and to the committee members who dedicated many hours of reviewing applications and interviewing the candidates. We were fortunate to have many impressive candidates.

CU Stars at AAMC Meeting
Our School of Medicine was a star at this year’s annual meeting of the Association of American Medical Colleges, which was held in San Antonio earlier this month.

The School of Medicine was one of only three organizations invited to present on its success on gender equity initiatives. In that session, Lotte Dyrbye, MD, MHPE, Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Well-being, spotlighted our efforts to ensure salary transparency and benchmarking, standardized and equitable search processes, and family-friendly policies. We’ve also ramped up recognition and advancement initiatives.

Another key factor is how we’ve implemented reforms to the promotion process. We now emphasize team science and broader dimensions of scholarship, and we have removed the clock from the clinical practice and research professor tracks.

In another session, focused on faculty and learner well-being, our approach to fostering a culture of well-being was recognized as an exemplar. Dr. Dyrbye discussed our multipronged strategy that connects faculty development, professional fulfillment, institutional systems change, and learner well-being. We emphasize data-driven interventions, micro-learning models for faculty development, and leadership behaviors that model compassion and work-life integration.

Final Reminder for Faculty & Trainee Well-Being Survey
The final reminder for the Faculty & Trainee Well-Being Survey was sent to nonresponders on November 6, and the survey will close on Friday, November 14.

Thank you to everyone who has already taken the time to participate. Current response rates are:

• Clinicians – 51%
• Scientists – 52%
• Residents – 43%

If you haven’t yet completed the survey, please take a few minutes to do so. Your input is essential in helping us understand and improve the work and learning environment across the School of Medicine. Survey links can be accessed here: https://medschool.cuanschutz.edu/faculty/survey

Grant to Improve Women's Health
Nanette Santoro, MD, Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology, is a Principal Investigator of a $2.3 million grant from the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation, “Focusing on the Menopause Transition to Improve Mid-Life Women’s Health,” which will study the impact of aggressive management of menopausal symptoms, weight gain, and cardiovascular risk on epigenetic aging in perimenopausal women. The study will consider whether aggressive treatment of these conditions will slow the process of epigenetic aging and have a long-term positive impact on health.

Genevieve Neal-Perry, MD, PhD, Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, and Samar El Khoudary, PhD, MPH, Chair of Epidemiology at Virginia Commonwealth University, are also Principal Investigators. Each site will recruit up to 85 women to the study, which will be ongoing for the next four years.

Recent Publications
Timothy A. McKinsey, PhD, Professor of Medicine and Director of the Consortium for Fibrosis Research & Translation, is corresponding author of an editorial, “Waging war against cardiac fibrosis by targeting the anthrax toxin receptor,” published November 4 by Nature Cardiovascular Research. Jacob G. Cox, a Medical Scientist Training Program student and member of Dr. McKinsey’s lab, is first author.

Vineet Chopra, MD, MSc, Interim Executive Vice Dean for Clinical | Research | Quality, and Chair of Medicine, is a co-author of an article, “Time-at-bedside and competency acquisition: a secondary analysis of GM-ITE domain scores in Japanese resident physicians,” published November 3 by BMC Medical Education.

Ashley M. Griffith, PhD, Instructor in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, investigator with the Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative, and Clinical Research Psychologist with the VA Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center for Suicide Prevention, is corresponding author of an article, “Rural-urban differences in post-9/11 women veterans’ firearm ownership and characteristics,” published November 3 by Injury Epidemiology. Nine co-authors are affiliated with our campus.

Call for Judges for Capstone Presentations
The Mentored Scholarly Activity program has issued a Call for Judges for the Capstone presentations of our graduating medical students. Judges are needed to score the quality of posters and student presentations on Monday, April 6, 2026. It is only with the commitment of our faculty that we can provide opportunities for students to explore their scholarly interests and engage in self-directed learning. Please sign up to be a judge.

CU Medicine Annual Meeting
The CU Medicine annual member meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, November 18, at 7:30 a.m. in person in the Chester Ridgway Board Room on the seventh floor of AO1 and by Zoom. All members of the faculty practice plan are invited to hear from me; Brian T. Smith, MHA, Executive Director; and Vineet Chopra, MD, MSc, Interim Executive Vice Dean for Clinical | Research | Quality.

Assistant Dean, Finance and Administration
The Dean’s Office is seeking an Assistant Dean, Finance and Administration, to serve as a strategic adviser to Executive Vice Dean Vineet Chopra, MD, MSc. The Assistant Dean will be an accomplished healthcare executive with deep operational expertise, financial acumen, and the capacity to lead with vision and inclusiveness in a complex academic health system. The successful candidate will have demonstrated success in overseeing operations in a large, complex healthcare organization and a deep understanding of clinical operations, financial management, and the integration of faculty practice into the tripartite mission. For additional detail about this vitally important position to our future and for a link to apply, please see the Job Description on CU Careers.

Medical Education Leadership
The Office of Medical Education is seeking candidates for several leadership roles across the medical education curriculum:

Pre-Clerkship Phase (Associate Dean David Ecker, MD)

• Course Director – Reproductive System & Life Cycle
• Assistant Course Director – Reproductive System & Life Cycle

Clerkship Phase (Associate Dean Jennifer Adams, MD)

• Clinical Content Director – Family Medicine
• Clinical Content Director – Surgery
• Longmont/Boulder – LIC Liaison – Pediatrics

Post-Clerkship Phase (Associate Dean Chad Stickrath, MD)

• Chair of the Advanced Science Course Directors

Health and Society Phase (Health & Society Director Kristin Furfari, MD)

Evidence-Based Medicine and Medical Informatics Associate Director

State of the Campus
I had the privilege of joining our campus leaders to discuss the challenges and opportunities we face at CU Anschutz. What a fabulous event! So inspiring!

I joined CU Anschutz Chancellor Don Elliman; Jena Hausmann, President and CEO of Children’s Hospital Colorado; Elizabeth Concordia, President and CEO of UCHealth, in a discussion about why we’re so confident that we have the competitive advantages here to achieve our most ambitious dreams.

When Chancellor Elliman asked whether I remain confident in my ambitious goal to be a top 10 institution in 10 years, I answered emphatically: “Hell yeah!” Our school, our hospital partners, and the other schools on campus collaborate in ways that will power us to the top. "With this team, I never doubted that was going to be the case."

You can read this article to find out more details about our conversation. Here’s why I think we’re in such great shape: People, Partnerships, and Compassion. Our advantage is 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 Anschutz School of Medicine

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