Dear colleague: 

Congratulations to Nanette Santoro, MD, chair of obstetrics and gynecology, on being named President Nominee of the Society for Reproductive Investigation and starting a term that involves a new role in each of the next four years: first as President Nominee, second as President-Elect, third as President and fourth as Immediate Past President. The society was founded in 1953 and has grown to represent about 1,000 members, who conduct basic, translational, and clinical investigation in reproductive sciences and women’s health. 

Congratulations to Rushita Bagchi, PhD, who is a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Timothy McKinsey, PhD, in the Division of Cardiology, on her selection to participate in the 68th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting in Lindau, Germany, in June. Each year, about 30 Nobel Laureates convene to meet up-and-coming scientists. Between 500 to 600 trainees, including PhD students and post-doctoral researchers, are invited after a competitive review process. This year’s meeting focuses on physiology and medicine, a topic of the meeting once every four years. 

Congratulations to Sarah Perman, MD, assistant professor of emergency medicine, who was notified in late February that she will be receiving the SAEM Young Investigator Award at the group’s meeting in May. SAEM is the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine and each year it selects up to three recipients for the award for demonstrating commitment and achievement during the early stage of their career. Sarah’s primary research interests are out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and post-cardiac arrest care, including targeted temperature management. 

Many thanks to Sarah Perman, MD, and other emergency medicine faculty, fellows and residents, who volunteered on Saturday, March 3, at the Girls & Science event at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. The crew representing the CU School of Medicine spent the entire day at the museum, which had more than 8,000 visitors who came to participate in the Girls & Science program. The talented crew shared their knowledge and enthusiasm about their careers and trained many girls (and some boys) how to do basic CPR. A museum staffer told a member of our team that their booth was “one of the best” in how engaged kids and family were. There are many great photos posted online. Colleagues participating with Sarah included Whitney Barrett, MD; Emmy Betz, MD, MPH; Katie Bakes, MD; Tracy Cushing, MD, MPH; Janetta Iwanicki, MD; Bonnie Kaplan, MD; Katherine Mayer, MD; Sarah Markus, MS, MD; Jessica Nelson, MD; and Sarah Selby, DO. 

In February, the Academy of Medical Educators hosted its sixth Education Innovation and Scholarship Symposium, welcoming keynote speaker Bob Englander, MD, associate dean for undergraduate medical education at the University of Minnesota School of Medicine, who addressed the topic of co-production with learners. The symposium featured 63 posters and oral presentations on educational scholarship and research. The Academy of Medical Educators announced six poster winners: Erica Martinez, MD candidate in the class of 2018; Cory Buenting, a second-year student in the Masters in Modern Human Anatomy program; Roberto Silva, MD, assistant professor of family medicine; Dana Judd, PT, DPT, PhD, assistant professor in the Physical Therapy Program;  Eric Gilliam, PharmD, assistant professor, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences; and Audrey Magnowski, MD candidate in the class of 2018. Congratulations to all for their dedication to high-quality educational scholarship and research. 

The Chancellor’s John Conger Lectureship is scheduled for Friday, March 9, at 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Mt. Oxford Auditorium, 2nd floor Conference Center at Children’s Hospital Colorado. Lauren Brookman-Frazee, PhD, professor of psychiatry at University of California, San Diego and the Research Director of the Autism Discovery Institute at Rady Children’s Hospital, will address “Designing Interventions for End Users: Effectiveness and Implementation of an Autism Intervention in Publicly-Funded Mental Health Services.” A reception will follow. 

The future of hospitals are a trendy topic in the business media recently and two of our faculty are among the go-to experts on the topic. Jennifer Wiler, MD, MBA, associate professor and executive vice chair of emergency medicine, was quoted in an article in The Wall Street Journal’s special section on healthcare last week. She was one of the experts discussing what hospitals will look like in the future. “Hospitals aren’t going away anytime soon, nor should they,” she said. “But the traditional model of a hospital as the hub of care with a single facility providing every facet of treatment is changing.” Richard Zane, MD, chair of emergency medicine was quoted by CNBC last Friday in an article about “micro hospitals.” Jen and Rich are more expansive on their vision of the future in an article, published in December by NEJM Catalyst and recently selected by the publication as an “Editor’s Top Pick.” In that article, they explain factors that are driving the evolution of healthcare systems. “The exponential growth of digital and virtual health, the deployment of advanced technology deeper into the community, and the movement of higher-acuity care into the outpatient environment,” they write, “create opportunities to shift from a large, centralized health care system to a smaller, faster, more cost-effective one in which health care is more accessible, more affordable, more personal, and closer to home.” 

Have a good week, 

John J. Reilly, Jr., MD
Richard D. Krugman Endowed Chair
Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs and
Dean, School of Medicine