Dear colleague: 

I had dinner on Sunday with the third candidate to be my successor as dean of the School of Medicine and vice chancellor of health affairs. Mary Klotman, MD, is the R.J. Reynolds Professor at the Duke University School of Medicine and Chair of the Department of Medicine. She will be meeting with as many people as possible during her two days here today and tomorrow. There is an open forum today, Nov. 24, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in the Shore Family Forum in the Nighthorse Campbell Native Health Building. I hope many of you will attend.  More information is available on the School of Medicine’s website. Questions about the schedule and events should be directed to Carolyn Goble in the Chancellor’s office. 

The Sunday Denver Post had an obituary for Marion Downs, our first director of audiology and a distinguished professor emerita, who died at the age of 100. There will be a celebration of her life on Jan. 9, 2015.  For more information on that event call 303-322-1871 or contact@mariondowns.org. 

The Post’s Sunday edition also included a page of nominees for its first annual Strength in Healthcare Awards. Many of our faculty – including myself --  were named. Unfortunately a list of nominees was not available online (probably because it was an ad) so I can’t give you the link.  But the awards will be presented in January.  Good luck to all. 

The Campus Orchestra, Melomania, and the a cappella group “The Arrythmias” held their Winter Concert last Wednesday evening.  The Arrythmias were all wearing blue tartan bowties (which some of them needed help tying).  I had to leave immediately after the event, and I guess I missed their hoped-for photo-op with me in my bowtie (which had Thanksgiving roasted turkeys on it).  If the group still wants the photo, Helen MacFarlane, our director of education technology, has a picture of me in that tie, and she told me she could Photoshop me into their picture. 

Research by Thomas Maddox, MD, assistant professor of medicine, was featured in an article in The New York Times last week. Tom, who is a cardiologist at the Veterans Affairs Eastern Colorado Health Care System, and his co-authors published a study in JAMA showing that people with nonobstructive coronary disease face a higher risk of a heart attack. In the past, such partial obstructions were often considered insignificant. 

Congratulations to 

• Kurt G. Beam, PhD, professor of physiology and biophysics, for being named a Distinguished Professor, the most prestigious honor bestowed by the University of Colorado. Kurt’s scientific contributions have garnered him numerous awards, including election to the National Academy of Sciences. Among Kurt’s accomplishments include a discovery that contributed to the removal of a widely used antibacterial chemical from soaps and personal care products. 
• Dennis J. Matthews, MD, chair of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, on receiving the Gabriella E. Molnar, MD, Pediatric PM&R Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation on Nov. 15 at its annual meeting in San Diego. 
• Carol Runyan, PhD, director of the Pediatric Injury Prevention, Education and Research Program and professor of epidemiology at the Colorado School of Public Health, on receiving the 2014 Distinguished Career Award  from the Injury Control and Emergency Health Services section of the American Public Health Association at the group’s annual meeting in New Orleans this week. 

Correction: The name of the award won by Stuart Linas, MD, professor of medicine, was misspelled in last week’s email. Stu received the Robert G. Narins Award at the annual meeting of the American Society of Nephrology. 

The Leadership in Educational Administration Program (LEAP) is now accepting applications. LEAP is designed for educators to develop effective leadership skills, fiduciary knowledge and budget management skills and team-management ability.  The program includes a four-day course next July and bi-monthly workshops culminating in a capstone project presentation in June 2016. Applications are due by Friday, Dec. 12. For more information contact Rita Lee, MD, associate professor of internal medicine. 

The Academy of Medical Educators is seeking applications for membership from all departments and programs within the School of Medicine. Members are chosen via a competitive, peer-reviewed application process. Membership represents a significant achievement in the field of medical education. Members are expected to have an ongoing commitment to medical education and the mission of the Academy. More information is available on the Academy’s webpage.  Anyone interested in applying should submit a brief email of intent (a one line note will suffice) to Kathy Werfelmann by 5 p.m. Monday, Dec. 15. Final applications are due Sunday, Feb. 1, 2015.
We have posted the two videos shown at the Bow Tie Ball on Nov. 15 and a slide show of photos from the event. We have also posted photos  -- lots of them --on Flickr where you can download photos if you want. The lingering warm feelings from that wonderful evening are only superseded by the gratitude I have for all of you who supported the event.  There is a nice write-up on the Blacktie Colorado website of the evening, plus more photos and a short video showing the Arapahoe Quartet.  

I wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving with family and friends and for those of you who are working that it will be a quiet day.

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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