Dear colleague:

Graduation was glorious. The sun shone brightly and the weather cooperated with us on Friday morning, May 23, after two consecutive days of tornado warnings on campus. I was chosen to deliver the commencement address and it truly was an honor to speak to this outstanding class and their families and friends. I know they are off to do great things and I reminded them how important it is to keep balance in their lives – personal and professional. Class of 2014 member Igor Shumskiy, MD, gave a remarkable and entertaining address, comparing the complexity of a Rubik’s Cube to the myriad factors we face every day with patients. He summed up our profession well: “We chose to do the simplest, most beautiful act. We've chosen to help people.” 

The Child Health Associate/Physician Assistant program conferred a degree upon its 1000th graduate on the day before and the Physical Therapy Program granted its degrees at the same time as the MD program on Friday. These two programs’ faculty took the Memorial Day weekend off and then welcomed their new classes of first year students last Wednesday and Thursday.  

Reunions were very successful.  We welcomed the class of 1964 back for its 50-year reunion on graduation weekend. There were many accomplished alumni at the ceremony to inspire and be inspired by the Class of 2014. Friday night there were a dozen reunion dinners held at the University Club and the Denver Country Club. 

A number of people have been asking how they apply for my job.  To make it easier, we have posted information on the School of Medicine’s webpage about the search for my successor as dean of the School of Medicine, president of University Physicians, Inc., and the university’s vice chancellor of health affairs. The posting includes the job description, the names of the members of the search committee and a message from committee chairman David Goff, MD, PhD, dean of the Colorado School of Public Health. David’s message says the committee anticipates confidential interviews with candidates this summer, with finalists vising campus in late August or September. 

Congratulations to Jean Kutner, MD, MSPH, professor of medicine, who has been appointed as the University of Colorado Hospital’s chief medical officer and associate dean for clinical affairs effective July 1. In this newly created role at the hospital, Jean will be responsible for clinical effectiveness, quality and patient safety in conjunction with nursing and other hospital and School of Medicine leaders. She also will work closely with School of Medicine clinical leadership to represent the academic perspective in hospital discussions. She will step down from her position as head of the general internal medicine division. 

Physicians on our faculty should take time to review information reported by pharmaceutical and medical-device manufacturers to the federal government about payments for research, consulting, gifts, travel or speaking honoraria, and entertainment. The Physician Payment Sunshine Act, which is part of the Affordable Care Act, requires the manufacturers to report such payments. Beginning on June 1, physicians can register on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) website to review and dispute any of the data reported about them. I urge you to take a look because CMS will make the data public on Sept. 30, 2014, and, based on previous news reports, we expect intense interest in the information. Faculty Affairs has prepared a useful summary of the issue. 

The Spring 2014 issue of CU Medicine Today highlights great work by our faculty and students here at the School of Medicine. Get up to date on research by Catherine Lozupone, PhD, in our new Division of Personalized Medicine and Biomedical Information. Learn about 5th Gear Kids, a program to educate grade-school children about diet and exercise. Read about a remarkable physical therapy student, Derek Enns, who lives among recently arrived immigrants in the Denver area. Read those stories and much more in the current issue now posted on the School of Medicine website.   

The Enhancing Education Grants Program is soliciting requests for applications for a second round of funding. The purpose of the grants is to improve education in the third year of medical school here at the School of Medicine. It is anticipated that 4 to 5 awards, up to $175,000 per award, will be funded. All applications will be peer-reviewed by a committee chaired by Associate Dean for Educational Strategy Eva Aagaard, MD. Applications are due by Sept. 15. For more information, contact Robert Anderson, MD, senior associate dean for education. 

The School of Medicine is recruiting for a 0.5 FTE physician to help lead the development and oversight of the clinical curriculum at its Colorado Springs Branch. For more information, including details on the job description, contact Erik Wallace, MD, associate dean for Colorado Springs branch. 

Hard to believe June is here and in just three weeks the days will start to get shorter.  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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