Dear colleague: 

Children’s Hospital Colorado announced last week that Jena Hausmann has been named president and CEO. She was selected after a nationwide search that attracted an impressive group of candidates. Jena has demonstrated exceptional leadership, serving as interim CEO since January and as a senior executive at Children’s for the past 11 years, most recently as president and COO. I am confident that under her leadership Children’s will continue to be an important community asset and I look forward to a strong partnership.

I met last week with the team from the University’s Office of Institutional Planning to discuss the proposed Interdisciplinary Building 1 on the land between Academic Office 1 and Research 1 South to convey concerns about possible disruptions to the labs in Research 1 South that construction might cause. Even though construction is years away, the planners have been thoughtful and detailed in their analysis and were reassuring that they have already considered the many issues involved. They said disruption would be minimal, if any, based on their analysis of other construction projects on campus and based on the geology of the site. Construction of the eight-story building, which would house the Center for Biomedical Informatics and Personalized Medicine, a Simulation Center and other offices, will not begin until funding sources are identified and approved, so a groundbreaking is likely at least a couple of years away. More information will be shared as known, and there will be meetings scheduled to further discuss any research concerns.   

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is working to find money to pay for the construction of its new hospital adjacent to the Anschutz Medical Campus. An article in last week’s Washington Post offered some insight into the department’s efforts to secure funding to complete the job.

The Human Touch 2015 launch event will be 4 p.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday, May 6, at Fulginiti Pavilion. Events will include a poetry reading and art exhibit. The Human Touch 2015 is the eighth annual anthology of poetry, prose, photography and graphic art from the Anschutz Medical Campus community. Free copies of the book will be available at the event and the book also will be distributed for free at the AMC Bookstore in Building 500. The Human Touch was founded by Henry N. Claman, MD, distinguished professor of the University, and is edited by students from the Anschutz campus.

On Friday evening, the ARCS Foundation held its 2015 gala at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, honoring James Crocker, vice president and general manager/civil space for Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co. His keynote remarks reviewed the history of the development and repair of the Hubble Telescope. ARCS provides scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students pursuing studies in science and engineering. The ARCS Foundation Colorado Chapter funds students on the campuses of University of Colorado, Colorado State University, and the Colorado School of Mines.  Currently, ten students on the Anschutz Medical Campus are recipients of ARCS support. More than $120,000 was raised at the event, all of which will be used to fund scholarships.  

Have a good week,

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