Dear colleague:

The Final Four are now two, the Rockies are home and the Avalanche are in the playoffs.  Maybe T.S. Eliot was wrong and April is not the cruelest month after all.  

We got some very nice news this week, thanks to terrific collaboration between Lynette Roff, MBA, who is the director of the VA Eastern Colorado Health System, Ralph Gigliotti, who is the director of VISN 19, and a team here led by Bob Schwartz, MD, professor of medicine in the Division of Geriatric Medicine and director of the Center on Aging. We are one of three finalists for a GRECC – Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center. The last competition for this award was more than 20 years ago, and we lost to the Salt Lake VA. I honestly don’t remember who the medical center director was then, but I do recall that the medical center director at that time was not enthusiastic and we did not come together to collaborate on the grant the way we have this time. Whatever happens, I appreciate the support that Lynette and Ralph have provided.  

I had six evening events in five nights this past week. As a result of the scheduling conflicts, I missed the spring Melomania concert last Wednesday, which I had hoped to attend. I heard it was terrific. I was attending a reception for our faculty who have served 25 years. The list of honorees is here. Thursday was dinner with Peter Jensen, MD, president and CEO of the REACH Institute, who delivered the third annual Chancellor’s John J. Conger Lecture on Friday. The dinner and lecture were very good. 

On Tuesday and Friday, I had dinner with five members of the U.S. Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect, who reconvened in Colorado this past week to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the release of one of its four reports calling for a new approach in this country’s efforts to protect children. It suggested a new, child-centered community-based approach to child protection. The School of Medicine is launching an effort in Colorado Springs to put the board’s recommended strategy, called Strong Communities for Children, into practice. It calls for community engagement from volunteers and organizations. Gary Melton, PhD, professor of pediatrics and associate director for community development and social policy at the Kempe Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse and Neglect, is coordinating the effort and will be working with leaders at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. We know this approach works. It was implemented in Greenville, S.C., and the result was safer children, parents with better support, and a significant decrease in reports of child maltreatment. 

The Joe Bonham Project: Drawing the Stories of America’s Wounded Veterans, an exhibit that documents stories of service members, goes on display at the Fulginiti Pavilion for Bioethics and Humanities beginning Thursday, April 10. The exhibit features artworks by 16 artists and is free to the public. 

The open enrollment period for employee benefits is right around the corner. It begins Monday, April 28, and runs through Friday, May 16. That’s a busy time of year for many of us, so now would be a good time to learn about plan changes and features. 

Lilly Marks, University of Colorado vice president for health affairs and executive vice chancellor of the Anschutz Medical Campus, was listed No. 47 on 5280 magazine’s “Most Powerful People in Denver.” While it’s a well-deserved honor, we all know that she ranks higher than that. Congratulations to the editors at 5280 for recognizing Lilly’s talent and acumen. 

Finally, you may want to get registered for graduation and the School of Medicine hooding and oath ceremony on Friday, May 23. The senior class has invited Michele Obama to be the graduation speaker. Normally, the chance is small that such a request would be responded to positively. I actually think we have a shot at a positive response, but if at the last minute she declines, the class has a back-up ready. 

Have a good week,

Richard D. Krugman, MD
Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs and
Dean, School of Medicine

"What’s Going On Here" is an email news bulletin from Richard Krugman, MD, Dean of the CU School of Medicine, that is distributed to inform University of Colorado School of Medicine faculty members about issues pertaining to the School’s mission of education, research, clinical care and community service. See the UCH-Insider →

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