Dear Colleague: 

CU Anschutz Brand Alignment
I am proud to announce that the School of Medicine will be the first on campus to participate in the CU Anschutz brand alignment initiative.

The School of Medicine has always been at the forefront of advancing education, research, and patient care, and now we have the privilege of leading the way in shaping how CU Anschutz tells its story. Aligning under a unified CU Anschutz brand will reinforce the strength of our school and amplify the impact of our work locally, nationally, and globally. For us, that means we now should refer to ourselves as the CU Anschutz School of Medicine.

This branding update does not replace our identity – it will reinforce it, ensuring that the excellence of our people and programs shines even brighter. The guidelines, templates, and other tools to support your efforts, are available on the new brand website. You can hear more about the “why” behind this initiative in this video featuring Chancellor Don Elliman.

I want to express my gratitude for the exemplary leadership of Kathy Green, Vice Chancellor of Marketing and Communications, and her visionary team, who will help spearhead this effort for the school, and all of you for your support and commitment to this important step forward. Together, we will help set the standard for the rollout across the rest of campus, ensuring that our identity reflects both who we are today and who we aspire to be.

Our brand is our story, and we tell it best together.

Consulting Contracts Moving to CU Innovations
I’m pleased to share that the CU Medicine Board unanimously approved a plan last week to transition faculty consulting contract work to CU Innovations. 

At the board meeting, Kimberly Muller, Vice Chancellor for Innovation and Biotechnology and Executive Director of CU Innovations, explained how the move will streamline operations and maximize the revenue return to our faculty and campus. As CU Innovations works through the transition, please continue to use the existing workflow through CU Medicine. The change will be completed by January 5.

By strategically aligning with CU Innovations, we will improve service to our faculty and optimize returns to CU Anschutz for the amazing work that gets done here every day. Please find more information, including a list of FAQs and opportunities for involvement, on the CU Innovations Faculty Consulting webpage.

This is an exciting step forward for CU Anschutz!

In-Office Workday Schedules
Chancellor Don Elliman announced last week that CU Anschutz will transition to a minimum of three in-person workdays per week on campus, beginning January 5, 2026. This change will apply to university operations and does not impact operations in our clinics or our hospital affiliates. Specific schedules will be coordinated with your supervisor and aligned with the needs of your school, department, or unit.

This model will bring a more consistent on-campus presence and will promote a stronger sense of community. The campus remains committed to supporting flexibility wherever possible ‒ balancing individual needs with our shared responsibility to foster a vibrant, collaborative campus environment for one another and those we serve. 

This shift may require planning and adjustment, so I encourage you to work with your supervisor to prepare for this change. Details are on the Human Resources website.

National Advanced Practice Provider Week
This week, we recognize and celebrate the extraordinary contributions of our Advanced Practice Providers, who are at the heart of patient care across our system—clinicians, educators, leaders, and advocates who live out the mission and vision of our institution every day.

National APP Week is not only a time for recognition but also a chance to pause and reflect on the difference APPs make—for patients, families, colleagues, and the community. Every day, they strengthen access to care, improve outcomes, and support the teams around them through skill, dedication, and compassion.

Innovation in advanced practice has long been part of Colorado’s history. From the first Nurse Practitioner program to the first Physician Assistant program granting a master’s degree, our institution has been a pioneer in expanding access to care.

That tradition continues today with more than 1,200 APPs across CU Anschutz School of Medicine, University of Colorado Hospital, and Children’s Hospital Colorado. APPs are improving patient care, leading quality initiatives, advancing research, and preparing the next generation of healthcare professionals.

Throughout the week, APPs will be honored with educational sessions, wellness activities, and the Annual APP Conference. The conference is a time to highlight APP leadership, celebrate achievements, and look ahead to the future.

We are grateful for the commitment, innovation, and compassion APPs bring to their work. Please join us in celebrating their contributions this week.

As a sign of our appreciation, the Dean’s Office and CU Thrive is sponsoring a free bagel and coffee for all APPs. Beginning September 22, APPs may go to Woodgrain Bagels (Ed 2 North), WoodMill (Fitzsimons Building), or T Street Café (Anschutz Heath Sciences Building) for a bagel and a medium coffee, or other store offerings up to a $7.50 value.

APPs must bring this printed certificate that they received by email or show the certificate on their phone at the register. The offer ends September 26, or whenever 500 APPs have redeemed the offer, whichever comes first. Please contact [email protected] with any questions.

Happy Retirement, Dr. Nairn!
Roderick Nairn, PhD, Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs, has announced his plans to retire. He will serve in the role full time through the end of 2025 and transition to part time through June 2026. Dr. Nairn has been an integral part of CU Anschutz since our early days on this campus, joining in 2007 as Vice Chancellor for University Initiatives and Vice Provost for the consolidated University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus. He was named Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs the following year. A biochemist by training, Dr. Nairn is also a tenured Professor of Biology at CU Denver and a Professor of Immunology and Microbiology in the CU Anschutz School of Medicine, with numerous publications and a textbook to his name. We wish him a happy retirement!

Faculty Updates
Paul MacLean, PhD, Professor of Medicine, has received notice of award for the Colorado Nutrition Obesity Research Center (NORC), a powerful research engine on our campus. This center grant will bring $5.85 million to Anschutz Medical Campus over the next five years. The NORC supports a research base of 198 faculty and trainees in the Rocky Mountain region and 28 external collaborators from 21 distinct institutions across the country. The annual research portfolio of the NORC’s 125 funded faculty members is $65 million in direct costs.

Earlier this month, the inaugural Faculty Philanthropic Cabinet convened to explore strategies and tactics for grateful patient philanthropy, a key pillar in our pursuit of becoming a Top 10 medical school within the next decade. Chaired by Naresh Mandava, MD, Interim Senior Associate Dean for Strategic Advancement, and supported by the Office of Advancement, the cabinet is charged with elevating philanthropic engagement across the school. The more than 30 faculty members on the cabinet will serve as ambassadors for philanthropy, collaborating with research and education colleagues to identify and advance high-impact philanthropic opportunities. This gathering marks an important step in strengthening our culture of philanthropy to support innovation, excellence, and growth.

Taymour Hammoudi, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor Pediatrics, has been selected as a Page Scholar with the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research for a two-year term beginning July 2025. The program aims to integrate early career investigators into the workings of center and its committees.

Ihuoma Eneli, MD, Professor of Pediatrics and Section Head of Nutrition, will receive the 2025 Section on Obesity Lifetime Achievement Award at the American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference and Exhibition on September 27.

Recent Publications
Randi K. Johnson, PhD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Biomedical Informatics, is corresponding author of an article, “Prediction and Characterization of Genetically-Regulated Expression of Asthma Tissues from African-Ancestry Populations,” published September 8 by The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Twelve co-authors are from our campus, and one is from CU Boulder.

Kristine A. Kuhn, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine, is corresponding author of a review, “Microbial threads in the tapestry of rheumatoid arthritis,” published September 16 by The Journal of Clinical Investigation. Jing Li, PhD, Research Associate of Medicine, is co-author.

Student Research Forum
The 40^th Annual Virtual Student Research Forum will be held on December 9 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. All CU Anschutz students are eligible to submit an abstract and give a virtual poster presentation. Best posters will receive recognition awards. Posters and abstracts are due by November 10. For the success of this important program for our students, we need faculty judges to identify top posters. Please fill out the form on the Call for Virtual Judges. Additional information about the program is available on the campus research forum webpage. For questions, email Mary McGinnis at [email protected].

Research Funding Applications
The Program to Advance Physician Scientists and Translational Research has announced requests for applications for two funding opportunities:

• The ASPIRE Program – the Anschutz Programmatic Incubator for Research Program – provides up to $100,000 per year for up to two years of support for milestone-driven collaborations between investigators on campus. The program aims to increase program project, center grants, and multi-project team science programs. Letters of Intent are due by November 3, and must be submitted on the CU ASPIRE Letter of Intent Submission Form.

• The Translational Research Scholars Program provides $75,000 annually for up to four years to early career faculty who are pursuing new lines of exploration. Letters of Intent are due November 2, and must be submitted through the TRSP Letter of Intent Submission Form.

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