Dear colleague: 

The Faculty Senate on Tuesday received an overview of career development training programs from Anne Libby, PhD, vice chair of academic affairs for the Department of Emergency Medicine, and the Leadership in Educational Administration Program from Rita Lee, MD, associate professor of medicine. These programs offer opportunities for professional development that advance the quality of our academic environment.

An update to the CUdoctors.com website is coming soon. Stefannie Emerson, vice president of business development and planning for University Physicians, Inc., and Michael Miller, program manager for information technology at the School of Medicine, gave the Faculty Senate a preview of the site, which is expected to debut in January 2016. This project is an upgrade to our online physician and provider profiles on CUdoctors.com, which receives more than 30,000 visits per month. The data in the School of Medicine faculty database will be integrated, which means that faculty and administrators will not have to update information in separate systems. The site will also be redesigned, making it easier to search and compatible with mobile devices. If you have questions related to technical issues, contact michael.g.miller@ucdenver.edu. For questions regarding CUdoctors.com, contact stefannie.emerson@upicolo.org or andrew.redfield@upicolo.org.

At the annual meeting of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) earlier this month, President and CEO Darrell Kirch, MD, and Board Chair Peter Slavin, MD, who is president of Massachusetts General Hospital and professor of health care policy at Harvard Medical School, delivered addresses calling on medical schools and teaching hospitals to focus on health care inequalities to achieve better health for all. As Darrell said, “Confronted with the scientific evidence that social inequities lead to poorer health outcomes, we have a clear ethical obligation, as health professionals, to address this issue.” Because those poorer health outcomes trend toward those who are underrepresented in medicine, we need to find ways to increase diversity among the workforce to reflect those we care for. Here in Colorado, our Department of Emergency Medicine has developed an intervention strategy to increase resident diversity. Its work is described in an article by members of our faculty that was published last week in the AAMC’s journal, Academic Medicine.

A new Campus Health Center that addresses common student health issues is now open. The center provides physical and mental health care in an integrated care model. The center is open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays. The center is on the second floor of the Anschutz Health and Wellness Center and takes student health insurance. While this health center was created with the students in mind, it welcomes other Anschutz Medical Campus community members to take advantage of its conveniently offered care. Both scheduled appointments and walk-ins are accommodated. Phone: 303-724-6242.

The Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes has named Lori Sussel, PhD, as its director of its Basic and Translational Research Division. Lori is joining us from the Department of Genetics and Development and the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center at Columbia University Medical Center in New York. She has served there as co-director of the University’s Integrated Program of Cellular, Molecular Biomedical Science Graduate Program and as co-principal investigator of a federally funded Endocrinology Training Grant. This is a return to Colorado for Lori. She was an assistant professor here and was promoted to associate professor in 2005, before moving to Columbia in 2007. She joins us part time in January and will fully transition by April 1, 2016.

Chris Smith, who is currently director of business intelligence at University Physicians, Inc., (UPI) has been appointed assistant dean for administration and finance for the School of Medicine effective Jan. 1. Before joining UPI, Chris had served as director of finance and administration for the Department of Medicine. He brings knowledge of the Anschutz Medical Campus, the School of Medicine and UPI. Between now and the end of the year, Chris will work with Terri Carrothers as she transitions from her current position as associate dean of finance and administration and chief of staff to her new role as senior vice chancellor for administration and finance for the University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus.

Last Wednesday, Nov. 11, the ARCS Foundation Colorado Chapter held its annual luncheon, this year on the CU-Boulder campus. We have many ARCS scholars on our campus and it was a pleasure to be at the luncheon to celebrate their accomplishment. This year’s luncheon included 10 Anschutz Medical Campus students: Ryan D’souza, My-Linh Ho, Kevin Krughoff, Ellen MacDonald, Mason McClatchey, Derek Nhan, Rebecca Tran Pollard, Jessica Rice, Timothy Ung and Leonid Zukin. The ARCS Honoree of the Year was Richard Krugman, MD, former Dean of the School of Medicine and Distinguished Professor of the University. The ARCS Foundation Colorado Chapter has given more than $3.5 million in scholar awards since its founding in 1976. ARCS Foundation Inc. provides financial awards to academically outstanding U.S. citizens studying to complete degrees in science, engineering and medical research.

The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is accepting applications for the position of director of interprofessional education (IPE). This 30 percent position reports to the University vice chancellor of health affairs and is responsible for overseeing the operation, growth and development of IPE programs on campus. Anyone interested in applying should submit a letter of intent and a current CV to Christine.gillen@ucdenver.edu by 11:59 p.m. Monday, Nov. 30.  

“Hard Call,” a new program in development at the Center for Bioethics and Humanities, is featured in an articlein CU Connections. The pilot production of Hard Call in October focused on the ethical and medical questions raised by the use of electronic hearts. The programming featured a forum discussion in the Fulginiti Pavilion and will be produced as podcasts that Center Director Matthew Wynia, MD, hopes will begin as soon as the end of the year. Rocky Mountain PBS also recorded the event with plans to upload a webcast onto its website.

An exhibit of artwork by faculty, staff and students of the University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus is on display in the Third Floor Gallery of the Health Sciences Library. An opening reception was held last Thursday and the show runs through Jan. 31, 2016.

A fall concert by the Arrhythmias Choir and the Melomania Orchestra, both of which include the talents of members of our Anschutz Medical Campus community, is scheduled for tomorrow evening, Nov. 17, at 7:30 p.m. in the Education II South Auditorium. The concert is free and open to all.

Have a good week,

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