Dear colleague: 

An important source of strength for the Anschutz Medical Campus is the support we receive from our community. Our work as researchers, clinicians, and educators depends in part on contributions from benefactors who believe in our work and who are grateful for our efforts to improve human health. Fundraising from private sources to the CU Anschutz Medical Campus has increased each year for the past three years, setting records for total support. To recognize the importance of philanthropy and to demonstrate our appreciation, our campus now has two new displays to honor those who are contributing to our efforts. Walls in Education II South and in Research I North outside of Hensel Phelps Auditorium are adorned with more than 280 plaques with the names of contributors. We are thankful for their support and are committed to wise stewardship of their investment in us. 

Jeff Jacot, PhD, associate professor of bioengineering, and James Jaggers, MD, who is the Barton-Elliman Chair in Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery, are featured in a report posted earlier this month on the National Science Foundation’s website. The report explains their efforts to develop a heart patch made from an infant’s own tissue that would repair the defect and then grow along with the baby. The innovative work they are conducting involves a process called electrospinning to make the patches in the lab. Researchers then infuse a ‘scaffold’ with stem cells that are harvested from the baby, even before birth. They’ve already shown that they can grow blood vessels and the blood supply needed for heart tissue, and recently, they also made cells from amniotic fluid into beating heart cells. This report features an excellent example of the outstanding work performed by CU faculty. 

Nanette Santoro, MD, who is the E. Stewart Taylor Endowed Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, is the author of an editorial, “Using Antimüllerian Hormone to Predict Fertility,” published October 10 by JAMA. The piece addresses a study published in the same issue of JAMA that indicates that it may be necessary to reevaluate what the hormone level means for a woman’s reproductive health. The report and Nanette’s commentary received widespread media attention last week, including a write-up posted on the Today Show’s website and in an article distributed nationally by Reuters news service. 

The School of Medicine Office of Diversity and Inclusion is hosting the 2017 Student National Medical Association Regional Conference on the Anschutz Medical Campus beginning Friday, October 20, and continuing through the weekend. The conference, “Our Voice, Our Future: Advocacy & Empowerment Through Healthcare,” provides an opportunity for prospective and practicing physicians to participate in conversations about healthcare advocacy, equity and development. 

Chancellor Don Elliman is scheduled to deliver his State of the Campus address on Wednesday, October 18, at 4 p.m. in Hensel Phelps West Auditorium. All faculty, staff, and students are invited to attend. An audience question-and-answer time will follow the address. 

Have a good week, 

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