Dear Colleague: 

Vik Bebarta Named Chair of Emergency Medicine
I am pleased to announce that Vik Bebarta, MD, has been named Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine, effective October 1.  

With more than a decade of exemplary leadership at CU School of Medicine, Dr. Bebarta was selected after a national search based on his comprehensive vision to lead the nation in emergency care, education, and research; to expand the department’s diverse research portfolio; and to implement an operational program that is data-driven, fiscally agile, execution-focused, and patient-centered.

Dr. Bebarta has made extraordinary contributions to CU over the past decade, and I am confident that he is the leader we need now to help us achieve Top 10 in 10. He proved he is the best leader for this job through years of exceptional performance and steadfast dedication to our school.

Respected as both a thought leader and an operator, Dr. Bebarta knows how to build communities, create vision, and deliver results. Under his leadership, the COMBAT Center has become a trusted national leader and partner – aligning science, policy, and clinical practice. His mentorship programs have trained the next generation of research leaders in academic medicine, health care, the military, and industry. In 2023, he was named Mentor of the Year by the CU School of Medicine.

Dr. Bebarta’s national influence includes invitations to present to the National Academy of Sciences, advising senior leaders in health and defense, working with Congress and prior White House administrations, and serving on National Institutes of Health and U.S. Department of Defense scientific review boards. His work has earned over 30 national and military awards, including the National Hero of Military Medicine Award.

Special thanks to the search committee led by Richard Schulick, MD, MBA, Chair of Surgery and Director of the CU Cancer Center, and all the members of the search committee who carefully reviewed applications and recommended Dr. Bebarta for this role. Dr. Bebarta was named interim chair on May 1, when Richard Zane, MD, stepped down in advance of becoming the Chief Medical Officer for UCHealth.

Farewell, Chief Repola! Welcome, Chief Harris!
Chief of Police and Associate Vice Chancellor Randy Repola has announced he will retire in November after more than eight years of dedicated service to CU Anschutz and a distinguished 30-year career in law enforcement. 

Chief Repola joined our campus in 2017 to lead the CU Anschutz Police and Campus Safety and Security following leadership roles at CU Boulder and the Estes Park Police Department. During his tenure, he has guided our campus through significant change, including navigating us safely through the COVID-19 pandemic. He strengthened campus safety and security, oversaw the department’s move into a new facility, and led a rigorous multiyear law enforcement accreditation process. 

With great vision and deep commitment to our campus community, Chief Repola built an outstanding, highly collaborative team and forged strong partnerships with our hospital affiliates and the city of Aurora. He leaves the CU Anschutz Police and Campus Safety and Security well-positioned for the future, and his legacy will be felt for years to come.

We look forward to celebrating Chief Repola’s countless contributions at a retirement reception in Krugman Conference Hall in the Research 2 Building on November 3. Details are available here, and all are welcome to attend.

Our campus welcomes Matthew Harris, PhD, who will join CU Anschutz as our next Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief of Police on October 20. 

Dr. Harris currently serves as sheriff of Clear Creek County and brings nearly three decades of law enforcement experience across federal, state, and local agencies, including leadership roles with the U.S. Marshals Service, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Department of Justice. 

In addition to extensive law enforcement training, Dr. Harris holds a PhD in business administration from Northcentral University and an MPA from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He has taught university courses in leadership, public policy, and criminal justice for more than 15 years. 

Mentorship Academy
As fall settles in, it’s the season for the Mentorship Academy, a tradition brought to our campus by Vineet Chopra, MD, MSc, interim Executive Vice Dean for Clinical | Research | Quality and Chair of Medicine.

Last year, we hosted a sold-out Mentorship Academy at CU Anschutz, where attendees learned from experts about successful mentoring. This fall, the free event moves to the University of Michigan on Friday, November 21.

With the theme “What’s in your Toolbox,” this year’s workshop will help mentors and mentees build practical skills and strengthen their approach to mentorship. Considering the current travel restrictions, if this opportunity could support your career development, I encourage you to discuss it with your division or department leader to determine whether exceptions to travel can be made for this valuable event. Dr. Chopra will be one of the presenters, along with several of our faculty. Click here to RSVP.

Recent Publications
Christian Mosimann, PhD, Johnson Chair and Associate Professor of Pediatrics in the Section of Developmental Biology, is corresponding author of an article, “The pericardium forms as a distinct structure during heart formation,” published September 29 by Nature Communications. Ten co-authors are from our campus. Co-authors include the CU Anschutz labs of Kika Sucharov, PhD, Professor of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology; Brisa Peña, PhD, Assistant Research Professor of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology; Alexa Burger, PhD, Associate Professor of Orthopedics; several graduate students and staff from our campus; and collaborators at University of Louisville School of Medicine.

Daniel Brook, MD, PhD, PGY I in Psychiatry, is a co-author of an original investigation, “Health Care Professional Willingness to Treat Opioid Use Disorder vs Type 2 Diabetes in Primary Care,” published September 30 by JAMA Network Open.

Katy E. Trinkley, PharmD, PhD, Associate Professor of Family Medicine, is corresponding author of an article, “Application of Nudges to Design Clinical Decision Support Tools: Systematic Approach Guided by Implementation Science,” published September 25 by Journal of Medical Internet Research. Twelve co-authors are from our campus.

Marian J. Rewers, MD, PhD, Executive Director of the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes and Professor of Pediatrics, and Ashley Frazer-Abel, PhD, Associate Professor of Medicine and Director of Exsera BioLabs, are co-authors of an article, “Genetic mapping of complement system proteins for islet autoimmunity in children with high risk of T1D,” published September 26 by Communications Biology.

Nazanin Bahraini, PhD, Associate Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, is a co-author of an original research article, “Inaccurate Disclosure of Suicidal Thoughts During Population-Based Suicide Risk Screening in Primary Care in the Veterans Health Administration,” published September 30 by the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

Nicole Tartaglia, MD, MS, Professor of Pediatrics, is corresponding author of an article, “Medical Findings in Infants Prenatally Identified With Sex Chromosome Trisomy in Year 1 of Life,” published September 26 by Pediatrics. Five co-authors are from our campus.

Sunah Hwang, MD, PhD, Professor of Pediatrics, is a co-author of an original research article, “Relationship Between Maternal Death and Infant Outcomes in a Longitudinal, Population-Based Dataset,” published September 25 by Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Elizabeth Goldberg, MD, ScM, Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, is a co-author of an article, “Appropriateness of Antiplatelets and Anticoagulants Among Older Adults Experiencing Falls,” published September 27 by the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Mohamed M. Salem, MD, MPH, PGY II in Neurosurgery, is a co-author of an article, “Single-session versus staged approaches for chronic subdural hematoma treatment with middle meningeal artery embolization and evacuation surgery: a propensity score–matched analysis,” published October 1 by the Journal of Neurosurgery.

Hillary D. Lum, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine, is corresponding author of a study protocol, “Engaging English- and Spanish-speaking older adults with and without possible cognitive impairment in advance care planning group visits: protocol for the ENgaging in Advance Care Planning Talks (ENACT) randomized controlled trial,” published September 25 by Trials. Thirteen co-authors are from our campus.

Nee-Kofi Mould-Millman, MD, Professor of Emergency Medicine, is corresponding author of a brief report, “Does TXA reduce total volume of 24-hour blood products transfused in post-traumatic hemorrhage in a resource-constrained setting: Secondary analysis of a prospective cohort trauma study in South Africa,” published September 30 by International Journal of Emergency Medicine. Four co-authors are from our campus.

Nominate Dean's Distinguished Speakers
The Dean’s Office is seeking nominations for the Dean’s Distinguished Seminar Series. Each year, this prestigious series brings leading experts to our campus to share insights and foster academic engagement. Previous speakers have included Nobel laureates and directors of leading medical research institutions from across the country.

The Dean’s Advisory Committee will select the speakers for the 2026-2027 Dean’s Distinguished Seminar Series. The committee is overseen by Leslie Berg, PhD, interim Senior Associate Dean for Biomedical Research and Chair of Immunology and Microbiology, and Adit Ginde, MD, MPH, interim Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Research and Professor and Vice Chair for Research for Emergency Medicine.

Faculty input is vital to ensure the series features renowned guest speakers at the top of their fields. Nominees should be prominent in their field and experienced as plenary speakers at the national and international level. Their participation in the seminar series enriches the academic life of our trainees and faculty.

• Instructions for Faculty: To nominate a speaker, please fill out this form and send it, along with the nominee’s CV, to your Department Chair, Center, or Institute Director. Use one form per nominee.
• Instructions for Chairs and Directors: Please review nominations before sending them to the Dean’s Office. Compile nominations and submit them to Judy Sherman, [email protected], no later than 3 p.m. Friday, October 17.

Federal Government Shutdown
The federal government shutdown last week is unsettling for everyone, and I understand those concerns because the state of affairs remains unpredictable. I want you to feel assured that leadership at CU Anschutz, along with our federal relations team and other campus partners, are closely monitoring the situation as it evolves and preparing for possible impacts to federally sponsored research, education, and clinical programs.

While we don’t know when the shutdown will end, please know that we have been actively preparing. Guidance has been provided to researchers. Notably, submission portals for grants could remain open. Therefore, all published grant and nomination deadlines must still be met, even during a shutdown.

Impacts could extend beyond previous shutdown experiences, including the possibility that the government may not reimburse some costs incurred during the shutdown. We will continue to carefully assess developments in partnership with our government affairs, budget, academic and legal teams.

I encourage you to monitor governmental news affecting our school by checking the CU System Federal Updates and Actions webpage and the CU Anschutz Federal Updates 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 Anschutz School of Medicine

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