Dear Colleague, 

The transition from summer to fall here has been very abrupt and incredibly soggy. While the flooding in Aurora has been significant and we have had some outages and road closures to deal with, it has been nothing compared to what has been going on in Boulder, at the CU-Boulder campus and in northern Colorado. We hope the prediction of a drying-out period beginning tomorrow is right.  

The Faculty Senate met for the first time this academic year on Tuesday with a full agenda. I gave an update on the strategic-planning process and the proposed changes in both the basic science and clinical areas. I had to leave for a reception at Chancellor Don Elliman’s home for new faculty who have joined the University of Colorado Denver, the consolidated university that includes two campuses, one in downtown Denver and ours at the Anschutz Medical Campus. The rain made the usual 25-minute trip an hourlong process. Meanwhile, the senate discussed the revised Professionalism Code and the new Faculty Evaluation System, which consolidates the DOMINO and FIDO systems we have had within the school. 

Wednesday at noon I had lunch with the first class of the Anesthesiologist Assistant Program, which started this year. It was fun to talk with them about their pioneer efforts on this campus and it reminded me of my first faculty position at our school in 1973 when I worked with the first classes of the Child Health Associate/Physician Assistant program, which now has nearly 1000 graduates. 

I drove to Vail Thursday afternoon for the Colorado Hospital Association annual meeting, where I participated in a session on the impact to the state’s health care system of adding 540,000 insured state residents as a result of health care reform. During the drive, just past Idaho Springs, the sun was out periodically and the aspen were showing spots of turning. 

Friday the 13th passed uneventfully, and I spent the weekend doing things around the house and watching a little football. If there is a gene, or set of genes for quarterback competence, the Manning family sure has several copies. 

Next week, there is a lot going on. “Mini Med School Part 2: The Clinical Years” begins Wednesday, Sept. 18, at 7 p.m. The free lecture series is a community service that invites people to campus each Wednesday evening to learn about a specific topic such as stroke, obesity, mental illness and women’s health. The nine-week program is simulcast in Boulder and Colorado Springs. The series is free, but registration is required. 

The Department of Psychiatry will conduct its annual violence prevention threat simulation exercise on Thursday, Sept. 19, from noon to 5 p.m. The activity associated with the event will be confined to the second floor of Building 500. The simulation will be conducted by the Anschutz Medical Campus Police with the psychiatry staff. 

Pianist Richard Kogan, MD, a psychiatrist affiliated with Weill Cornell Medical College, will perform works of George Gershwin and share stories about the composer on Thursday, Sept. 19, at 7 p.m. in Education Building II South, Room 1102. The event is free and open to the public, although donations to the Arts and Humanities in Healthcare Program are welcome. 

A symposium to honor the scientific contributions of Celia Sladek, PhD, professor emerita in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics, is set for Friday, Sept. 20, in Hensel-Phelps West Auditorium. The daylong event begins at 9 a.m. and features five visiting speakers. It’s a terrific tribute to Celia, who has been a dedicated researcher here since 2002. 

The Anschutz Medical Campus is hosting its first annual Anschutz Block Party on Friday, Sept. 20, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Bonfils Circle south of Building 500. Food vendors and some of the food trucks we’ve come to know and love on Wednesdays will be there to serve. Music of many flavors will be on tap too: the Aurora Symphony Orchestra, Delta Sonics, the Belle Jar and Dogs in the Yard will be performing. Hopefully the rain will stay away and you can come out to celebrate with your campus neighbors. 

Finally, I got word that Dale Liechty, MD, a longtime member of the School of Medicine faculty, died last week. Dale was on the Department of Surgery faculty from 1972 until he retired in 1995. His son-in-law, J. Scott Millikan, MD, a surgeon in Billings, Mont., completed his residency here. Dale’s funeral is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 20, at 1 p.m. at Wellshire Presbyterian Church in Denver. Our condolences go out to Dale’s wife, Valerie, and the rest of his family. 

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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