Dear colleague: 

Denver Health Medical Center announced last week that CEO Arthur Gonzalez will be retiring June 30. Art joined Denver Health in 2012. Rus Heise, chair of the Denver Health board, said the board will select an interim leader and will begin a search for a new permanent CEO. That search is expected to take six to 12 months. 

Hundreds of supporters of Denver Health gathered Saturday evening in downtown Denver at the Denver Health Foundation NightShine gala, which celebrated and raised money to support the essential work done by Denver Health in our community. One of the evening’s highlights was a video commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Denver Health’s neighborhood clinics, a farsighted approach to providing health care for individuals and the community. Federico Peña, former Denver mayor and cabinet secretary in the Clinton Administration, and his wife, Cindy, were the honorees. 

Congratulations to everyone involved in making the 7-minute film, “Interprofessional Education at AMC,” on receiving notification that it has won a Telly Award. The Telly Awards recognize excellence in non-broadcast video production. This film, which was selected from among nearly 12,000 entries, features students and faculty sharing their experiences and insights about interprofessional education. Film production is a team effort and this award extends to the IPE Council for their guidance, direction by David Weil at the Center for Bioethics and Humanities, and camera/editing and sound by Trevr Merchant of CU Media.  

The Donor Memorial Ceremony is scheduled for 3:30 p.m., Monday, April 11, in Education 2 South, Room 1102. Each year, students from the Anschutz Medical Campus gather to pay tribute to those who have donated their bodies for research and learning. Students, faculty and staff gather with families of the donors to express gratitude and share perspective on the meaning of their experience learning from the donors. All on campus are welcome to attend. 

Noah Finkelstein, PhD, professor of physics at CU Boulder and the inaugural CU System Timmerhaus Teaching Ambassador, is presenting “Active Learning in the Classroom: Fad or Fixture?” on Monday, April 11 at 1 p.m., in the Shore Auditorium, Nighthorse Campbell Native Health Building. After the presentation, there will be an interactive discussion with Finkelstein and facilitators Kari Franson, PharmD, PhD, associate dean for professional education at the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Andy Bradford, PhD, assistant dean of essentials core curriculum at the School of Medicine. 

U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet and Robert Califf, MD, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, were on the Anschutz Medical Campus last Friday to participate in a roundtable discussion with members of the Colorado Bioscience Association and members of our faculty. Special thanks to our faculty members, Peter Buttrick, MD , Thomas Flaig, MD, William Hiatt, MD, Jean Kutner, MD, MSPH, Dennis Roop, PhD, and Dan Theodorescu, MD, PhD, for participating in the event. 

Congratulations to James Beck, MD, professor and vice chair for veterans affairs in the Department of Medicine, on his election to become secretary-treasurer of the American Thoracic Society in May. He will become president in 2019-2020. With his election, the School of Medicine now has two members on the executive committee of the society. Marc Moss, MD, professor of medicine, is currently vice president and becomes president-elect in May. 

Brandon Combs, MD, assistant professor of medicine, is featured in an article about innovations in medical education in the February/March issue of the AAMC Reporter. Combs and a colleague, Tanner Caverly, MD, MPH, who is a fellow and clinical lecturer at the University of Michigan Medical School, launched the “Do No Harm” project in 2012. The project uses clinical vignettes to raise awareness about medical tests and procedures that may not be necessary and to spark conversations about high-value care. The project began at Denver’s Veterans Affairs Medical Center and today is integrated into two longitudinal clerkships at our medical school. 

The Academy of Medical Educators is accepting nominations for its annual Education Awards. All faculty, including volunteer faculty, in the School of Medicine, including the Physical Therapy and Child Health Associate/Physician Assistant programs, are eligible for these awards. The categories include Excellence in Direct Teaching, Excellence in Curriculum Development or Educational Innovation, Excellence in Educational Administration or Leadership, Excellence in Research or Scholarship in Education, and Excellence in Mentoring and Advising. You can find more information and the nomination form on the Academy’s Education Awards webpage. The deadline to submit nominations is Monday, May 2, 2016. 

Have a good week, 

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