Dear colleague: 

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper last week signed into law House Bill 18-1322, which is the state budget for the year beginning July 1. Of particular note for the Anschutz Medical Campus in this year’s budget is funding for a new building that would house the Colorado Center for Personalized Medicine, programs related to behavioral health, our patient simulation center, and additional office space for faculty. The upcoming year’s budget provides $12.3 million toward the overall cost of the building, estimated at $242 million in state budgeting documents. The state’s total projected contribution to the project is $54 million over a three-year period. The remaining portion of the project would be funded by bonds repaid by grant sources and donations. 

Adel Younoszai, MD, professor of pediatrics, has been named associate dean of clinical affairs child health and associate medical director for child health for the School of Medicine, CU Medicine, and Children’s Hospital Colorado. Adel is currently director of cardiac imaging and co-director of the single ventricle care program in the Division of Cardiology and Children’s Hospital Colorado. Adel succeeds Michael Narkewicz, MD, professor of pediatrics, in the role. Mike served in the position since 2011 and is now an interim physician executive at Children’s Hospital Colorado. I thank Mike for his many dedicated years to the faculty practice administration and we welcome Adel to his new role. 

Eric Poeschla MD, professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, is one of four CU faculty who have been awarded a $3 million program project grant to develop new tests for rapid, specific diagnosis of infection based on RNA biomarkers in body fluids. This project is an excellent example of intercampus and cross-disciplinary collaboration. The other three investigators on the grant are on the CU Boulder faculty: Sara Sawyer, PhD, associate professor of molecular, cellular, and developmental biology, Roy Parker, PhD, professor of chemistry and biochemistry, and Robin Dowell, DSc, associate professor of molecular, cellular, and developmental biology. The project is funded by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency of the U.S. Department of Defense. The team’s goal is to develop nucleic acid biomarkers that can be detected rapidly in human body fluids to diagnose infection, including unknown pathogens at an early stage.  

Congratulations to Nidia Quillinan, PhD, assistant professor of anesthesiology, who received one of two Junior Faculty Research Awards at the Association of University Anesthesiologists annual meeting in Chicago in late April. Nidia’s research is on the neurobiology of stroke, synaptic signaling and plasticity. 

For the third year in a row, Colorado Cancer Blogs is included in the list of Best Cancer Blogs compiled by Healthline.com, a website that provides content on health conditions. The 2018 list includes the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, the American Association for Cancer Research, and Stand Up to Cancer. According to Healthline.com, blogs were selected each blog based on the quality of content, the frequency of posts, and a connection to their community. Congratulations to the team at the CU Cancer Center. 

The Center for Women’s Health Research, We Work for Health Colorado, and the Colorado Bioscience Association hosted a panel discussion with U.S. Congressman Mike Coffman at the Anschutz Medical Campus on Monday, April 30. CU School of Medicine faculty members Judy Regensteiner, PhD, Jane Reusch, MD, and Michael Bristow, MD, PhD, along with Rusty Montgomery, PhD, director of research at miRagen Therapeutics, briefed Rep. Coffman about issues related to women’s health research, focusing on cardiovascular disease and diabetes in women. 

Teams from the Anschutz Medical Campus joined other groups raising money for the March of Dimes at the March for Babies on Saturday, April 21, in City Park in Denver. The campus teams – from the University, UCHealth and Children’s Hospital Colorado – raised a total $50,573 in contributions and pledges. The School of Medicine team accounted for $13,000 of that total, according to Theresa Powell, PhD, professor of pediatrics. Thanks to all who contributed time, money, and effort to this worthy cause. 

I mentioned in a message last month that the University dedicated a plaque on the flagpole in front of Building 500 in memory of Richard J. Traystman, PhD, former vice chancellor for research. There is another way to honor our deeply missed colleague. A memorial fund supporting the Acute Care for the Elderly Program has been established in recognition of the compassionate care Dick received at the end of his life. Gifts can be made at giving.cu.edu/fund/richard-traystman-phd-memorial-fund. For additional information, contact Megan Cooke at megan.cooke@ucdenver.edu. 

Have a good week, 

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