Dear colleague: 

As 2015 draws to a close, we should take time to reflect on the accomplishments of the past year and look to the opportunities ahead of us. Since joining the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus as Dean of the School of Medicine in April, I have been impressed by the commitment of our faculty, staff and colleagues to provide the best care, conduct cutting-edge research and teach the next generation of physicians, scientists and other health care professionals.  We are making excellent contributions to our community and the world. In just the past month, our faculty have been featured in major national media discussing how we transformed emergency care, implanted a bionic eye to let a mother see her son for the first time in years, and offering insights on women’s health issues. We’ve seen a graduate of our dermatology residency program become the first African-American woman appointed the Army Surgeon General and we’ve seen another medical school alumnus return to Earth after a five-month stay on the International Space Station. As I read the applications for the Transformational Research Funding initiative, I am confident that our School is well-positioned to make significant and long-lasting impact on the lives of individuals and our community. I am looking forward to the contributions that we will make together in the coming year.

The University Physicians, Inc., (UPI) annual member meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 6, has been relocated to the Fulginiti Pavilion in the Gossard Forum and Lobby. All UPI members are invited to attend. The reception begins at 5 p.m. and the business meeting at 6 p.m.

The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) posted a link last week to the full transcripts of the Leadership Plenary Addresses at the Learn Serve Lead 2015 meeting in Baltimore in November. Peter Slavin, MD, president of Massachusetts General Hospital and chair of the AAMC board, speaks on the obligation to address crises that threaten the health and safety of our communities, focusing on racial health disparities. AAMC President and CEO Darrell Kirch, MD, offers remarks about inequality in health care for the mentally ill, veterans and members of the military and the LGBT community. He offers examples of successful initiatives to address those issues. I encourage you to read the transcripts or watch the videos.

Faculty staff, students and friends of the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus are invited to submit contributions to “The Human Touch 2016,” the annual literary and artistic journal of our campus community published by the Center for Bioethics and Humanities. Categories include prose, poetry, photography, graphic art, music and video. The submission deadline has been extended to Saturday, Jan. 2. Submission instructionsare posted online. Those with questions should contact Romany.Redman@ucdenver.edu or Leslie.Palacios-Helgeson@ucdenver.edu.

Community service is a core mission for our School and one of the Anschutz Medical Campus highest-profile annual efforts is volunteering to perform health screenings at the National Western Stock Show. The stock show runs from Jan. 9 to Jan. 24. There are multiple daily shifts, which can last either four or six hours. Volunteers get admission to the show on the day they volunteer and may qualify for free rodeo tickets if volunteering for more than one shift.  Details are on the Colorado Area Health Education Center’s website.

I hope you’ve had a safe and happy holiday season and I look forward to working together in the year ahead.

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