Leslie Appiah, MD
Leslie Appiah, MD, is a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Chief of the Division of Academic Specialists in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and Children’s Hospital Colorado. She is a fellowship-trained pediatric and adolescent gynecologist and
Director of the Fertility Preservation and Reproductive Late Effects program at the Comprehensive Cancer Center and Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders. Dr. Appiah is a member of the CU Medicine Board of Directors, the Executive Committee, and the Sites of Practice Committee.
Penny Archuleta, MA
In addition to her role as Physician Talent Development Consultant and executive coach at Children’s Hospital, Penny Archuleta, MA, is the interim co-director of ThriveForward, bringing experience from her previous role as associate vice chair of faculty development for the Department of Medicine. She is passionate about empowering individuals and teams to reach their fullest potential. Contact.
Karen Chacko, MD
Karen Chacko, MD, is a Professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine within the Department of Medicine. She previously served as the Program Director for the Primary Care Internal Medicine Residency Program and Senior Associate Program Director for the categorical Internal Medicine Residency Program before she moved into the Dean's office in 2019. Within the Dean's office, she holds two roles that are intertwined — Associate Dean for Clinical Outreach for Adult Health, and Medical Director for Digital Health for the School of Medicine. She is also the admissions director for the CU School of Medicine branch campus in Fort Collins. Contact.
Vineet Chopra MD, MSc
Vineet Chopra MD, MSc, is Professor of Medicine, holder of the Robert W. Schrier Endowed Chair, and Chairman of the Department of Medicine at the University of Colorado (CU). Prior to coming to CU in 2021, Dr. Chopra served as the inaugural Chief of the Division of Hospital Medicine at the University of Michigan from 2017-2021. He has published almost 300 peer-reviewed publications in top tier journals including the Annals of Internal Medicine, JAMA, BMJ and others. He has also edited and authored 5 textbooks, and is the recipient of numerous teaching, service and research awards. Finally, Dr. Chopra is passionate about mentorship and its intersection with academic medicine, and is recognized as a national expert in this area. Contact. Connect.
Melissa Connell, JDE
Melissa Connell, JD, is the Ombuds for the University of Colorado Denver|Anschutz Medical Campuses, and has been in this role for over two decades. As the Ombuds, Connell empowers individuals to address and manage conflicts in a confidential, neutral, informal, independent and voluntary manner. In addition, the Ombuds offers facilitated conversations, mediations, coaching, and brainstorming/reality checking; and is an excellent starting point for accessing appropriate resources. Connell received her law degree from the University of Denver.
Geoffrey R. Connors, MD, FACP
Geoffrey Connors, MD, FACP, is an Associate Professor of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine and the Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education (GME) at the University of Colorado. Connors serves as the Internal Medicine Program Director. In 2024 he was selected as Associate Dean for GME, where Dr. Connors now oversees all GME programs at the University of Colorado including 31 residencies, 85 accredited fellowship programs, and 117 non-ACGME fellowship training programs across three major academic teaching sites, as well as several other affiliate institutions. He is known as a leader in medical education whose primary focus is on advancing residency education as well as building curricula for trainees who want to become leaders in medical education. He is a strong believer that personal wellness and clinical excellence not only can coexist within each of his trainees but must live side-by-side for each of them to reach their fullest potential. Contact.
Robert Doolan, MD, FACP
Robert Doolan, MD, FACP, is the Associate Division Head for Clinical Affairs in General Internal Medicine, and oversees clinical operations for General Internal Medicine practices.
Lotte Dyrbye, MD, MHPE
Lotte Dyrbye, MD, MHPE, is Senior Associate Dean for Faculty and Chief Well-being Officer, and Professor of Medicine (Tenure), Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine. Dyrbye is a thought leader in physician burnout and engagement. She has conducted numerous national and multi-institutional studies, conducted randomized clinical trials of possible solutions, and been an innovator. Dyrbye is frequently invited to give presentations both nationally and internationally, and has authored more than 130 journal articles, abstracts, and other written publications related to physician well-being. She has received 11 competitive research grants to support her work, and co-developed the Well-Being Index and an interactive web-tool that provides a validated instrument for self-assessment, access to tailored resources, and organization level reports with comparisons to national norm. Dyrbye is a member of National Academy of Medicine (NAM) Action Collaborative on Clinician Well-Being and Resilience, and co-authored the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine consensus study report, Taking Action Against Burnout: A Systems Approach to Professional Well-Being, released in the fall of 2019. The report calls upon leaders in healthcare organizations to prioritize major improvements in clinical work environments to prevent and mitigate clinician burnout and foster professional well-being.
David Ecker, MD
David Ecker, MD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Hospital Medicine. He is also an Assistant Dean of Medical Education, and directs the pre-clerkship curricula for the School of Medicine's Trek Curriculum. There are innumerable opportunities for faculty wishing to teach and mentor medical students throughout their four-year curriculum, and he looks forward to sharing ways interested faculty can get involved. Contact.
Aimee F. English, MD
Aimee English, MD, is a family physician, Associate Vice Chair of Clinical Affairs, and Clinical Director of the Department of Family Medicine (DFM). Since 2011, she has been practicing family medicine in the AF Williams Family Medicine clinic in Denver. From 2011 to July 2024, she attended on the CU Anschutz Family Medicine Inpatient Service. In her administrative roles, she works in operational leadership of the DFM's eight family medicine clinics and spearheads much of the DFM's quality improvement work internally and in partnership with UCH hospital and CUMedicine. Additionally, she serves a core faculty member within the University of Colorado Family Medicine Residency. Contact.
Casey Greene, PhD
Casey Greene, PhD, serves as the Chair of the Department of Biomedical Informatics and Interim Director of the Colorado Center for Personalized Medicine. His lab works at the intersection of -omics, public data, and machine learning. Contact.
Michael Harris-Love, MPT, DSc, FGSA, FAPTA
Michael Harris-Love, MPT, DSc, FGSA, FAPTA, is a Professor within the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R). He serves the University of Colorado School of Medicine as the Associate Dean of Physical Therapy Education and as an Executive Vice Chair for PM&R. He is also the Director of the Residential DPT Program at CU Anschutz and Director of an applied muscle morphology and performance laboratory that is affiliated with the Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center. Dr. Harris-Love is a first-generation college graduate, and he previously worked at the Mayo Clinic and the NIH Clinical Center before joining CU. Contact.
Kelly Havenner
Kelley Havenner is IT/Operations Manager of The Clubs, with six years of experience managing and optimizing shared alternative workspaces on campus. Havenner is passionate about creating collaborative environments that support diverse teams, and has served for twelve years at the University of Colorado. Contact.
Jessica Howard
Jessica Howard is a Senior Civil Rights Investigator & Case Resolution Specialist for the Office of Equity at the University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus. Specializing in addressing issues of discrimination, harassment, and sexual misconduct under Title IX and EEO-related policies, Howard is committed to fostering a safe and equitable campus environment. She has a background in civil rights advocacy with leadership experience in nonprofit organizations. Howard was born and raised in Denver and is currently pursuing her graduate degree in Social Science at the University of Colorado Denver. Contact.
Dalan Jensen
Dalan Jensen has held several roles in his tenure at University of Colorado. He was a researcher and has published 50+ manuscripts in the fields of diabetes, obesity, and metabolism. Jensen's expertise also extended into supporting information technology (IT), data analytics, and statistics, which lead to him being hired as the first IT Director in the School of Medicine (SOM). Currently, Jensen is the IT Director in the SOM Information Technology Shared Services team supporting the research mission of the school. Contact.
Abigail (Abbey) Lara, MD
Abigail (Abbey) Lara, MD, holds dual undergraduate degrees in Psychology and Microbiology from the University of California, San Diego, and earned her MD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She completed her residency at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, and a research fellowship at the Lerner Research Institute before completing her pulmonary and critical care training at the University of Colorado, where she has been a faculty member since 2008. In addition to her clinical and academic roles, Dr. Lara is an MBTI and EQ-i practitioner, skilled in emotional intelligence and personality assessments. Dr. Lara is also an avid outdoorswoman, amateur archer, and certified scuba dive master.
Stephanite Lehto, PsyD
Stephanie Lehto, PsyD, is assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry. Lehto is Clinical Director of Student and Resident Mental Health and Faculty and Staff Mental Health. Contact.
K. Ron-Li Liaw, MD
K. Ron-Li Liaw, MD, is the Cannon Y. & Lyndia Harvey Chair in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Chair of the Pediatric Mental Health Institute at Children’s Hospital Colorado. Dr. Liaw is a Professor, Vice Chair of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and Division Director of Child and Adolescent Mental Health in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. She serves as the inaugural Mental Health In-Chief at Colorado Children’s Hospital and oversees child mental health vision and strategy, operations, quality, safety, and workforce development system-wide. Nationally, Dr. Liaw serves on the Commonwealth Fund’s National Advisory Board for Strategies to Address the Youth Behavioral Health Crisis and as an executive sponsor for Cardinal Health, Children’s Hospital Association, Zero Suicide Academy’s Preventing Youth Suicide national collaborative. In Colorado, Dr. Liaw is a member of the Behavioral Health Administration’s Advisory Council and serves on the Board of the Youth Healthcare Alliance. Dr. Liaw is a 2021-2023 Aspen Institute Ascend Fellow, a group of leaders who are moving ideas to action for children and families in the U.S. and co-designing new care paradigms that give all children the opportunity to thrive, learn, feel safe, known, and loved. Dr. Liaw received her bachelor's degree in anthropology from Rice University and her medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine with high honors. She completed her adult psychiatry training at Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital and McLean Hospital, where she served as chief resident. She also completed a research fellowship at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Mind/Body Institute as well as a clinical fellowship in psychodynamic psychotherapy at the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute. Dr. Liaw completed her child and adolescent psychiatry residency at NYU Langone Medical Center. Dr. Liaw completed quality improvement training through the Anderson Center for Health Systems Excellence at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center’s Intermediate Improvement Science Series. Contact.
Steven R. Lowenstein, MD, MPH
Steven Lowenstein, MD, MPH, has devoted his career to medical education, public health, promoting fairness and opportunity, and the practice and teaching of emergency medicine. He is Professor of Emergency Medicine and Medicine and Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs at the University of Colorado School of Medicine (CU SOM). Dr. Lowenstein has received numerous awards and honors for clinical excellence and public service. He teaches extensively in the medical curriculum at CU SOM, and has been honored with numerous awards for teaching excellence. Dr. Lowenstein has long been active in state injury control and public health efforts, advocating for marginalized and underserved populations and for better mental healthcare for all.
Wendy Macklin, PhD
Wendy Macklin, PhD, is a Distinguished Professor and has been Chair of the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology since 2009. She was elected a Fellow of AAAS in 2020 and has been a Javits Neuroscience Investigator from 2017-2024. Dr. Macklin has trained over 35 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. She studies oligodendrocyte development and myelination in the central nervous system, investigating animal models of altered brain development and those related to multiple sclerosis. Contact.
Naresh Mandava, MD
Naresh Mandava, MD, is Professor and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology, is the Sue Anschutz-Rodgers Endowed Chair in Retinal Diseases, also the Executive Director of the Sue Anschutz-Rodgers Eye Center. Contact.
Miriam D. Post, MD
Miriam D. Post, MD, is a Professor of Pathology and the Assistant Dean for Faculty Affairs. A gynecologic pathologist by training with a longstanding interest in medical education, Dr. Post joined the faculty at University of Colorado School of Medicine in 2008, and has served in a number of roles within her department and the School of Medicine since that time. She began her career with a focus on clinical service directorship, then moved into undergraduate and graduate medical education, and more recently pivoted to faculty affairs. Contact.
Angeles (Angie) Ribera, PhD
Angeles (Angie) Ribera, PhD, is a Professor in the University of Colorado School of Medicine (CU SOM) Department of Physiology & Biophysics, and has been a member of the CU SOM faculty since 1990. For over 30 years, Ribera ran an NIH-funded research program studying basic mechanisms of brain development. For the past three years, she has led a new office in the CU SOM — the Office of Research Education that is the home of 13 Biomedical PhD programs in which CU SOM faculty participate and recruit students to join their research programs. Contact.
Justin Ross, PsyD
Justin Ross, PsyD, is a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in health, wellness, and human performance. He has spent the bulk of his career aiding in mental health and wellness initiatives for those performing in stressful, highly demanding environments, including those in healthcare as well as professional athletics, where he is vetted as a provider for both the NFL and NBA. He has served as a clinical psychologist for UCHealth since 2010, formerly in the Center for Integrative Medicine, and is currently the Director of Wellness for the entire UCHealth system. Contact.
John Sampson, MD, PhD, MBA
John H. Sampson, MD, PhD, MBA, is Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs, Dean of the University of Colorado School of Medicine, and Richard D. Krugman Endowed Chair. Previously, he was the Robert H. and Gloria Wilkins Distinguished Professor of Neurosurgery and Senior Vice President of Duke University Health System and the Duke Health Integrated Practice. Dr. Sampson is a physician-scientist, member of the National Academy of Medicine, and a transformational leader who through a 25-year career has relentlessly pursued excellence across clinical practice, research, education, and leadership domains. As a transformational leader, he has inspired and mentored high-performing teams, fostered a culture of innovation, orchestrated collaborative change initiatives, and successfully converted visionary ideas into actionable plans.
Deanna Schroder, BA, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
Deanna Schroder, BA, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, is the Associate Director of Human Resources for the University of Colorado School of Medicine. A 30-year veteran of HR, she has been with the University for 12 years, and previously worked in HR leadership positions for quasi-governmental, nonprofit, and retail organizations. A Colorado native, Schroder moved to Aurora in 1999 and serves on the board of directors for DAWN Health, as well as volunteering for Bank of the Rockies and Project Angel Heart. She is the proud mom of a young adult daughter who teaches high school English and reading; and in her free time, you can find her hiking or at a live music or theater event. Contact.
Melissa Sinclair, CPC, MA
Melissa Sinclair, CPC, MA, is the Director and Vice Chair of Finance and Administration in the department of psychiatry since 2018. Sinclair has worked in the University of Colorado School of Medicine system for 21 years, starting her career at what was University Physicians Inc. She enjoys working with faculty and staff in a mission-driven atmosphere geared toward learning and improving the lives of Coloradans.
Brian T. Smith, MHA
Brian T. Smith, MHA, is currently the Senior Associate Dean for Administration and Finance for the University of Colorado School of Medicine and the Executive Director of CU Medicine at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, Colorado. Prior to joining CU Anschutz, Mr. Smith was at the Mount Sinai Health System in New York City where he served as the Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Mount Sinai Doctors Faculty Practice and Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs for the Icahn School of Medicine. Prior to joining Mount Sinai in January 2017, Mr. Smith was the founding Executive Director of Rush University Medical Group and Vice President of Clinical Affairs at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago for more than 11 years. Mr. Smith was also an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Systems Management at Rush University where he was highly recognized as an outstanding teacher and mentor. Prior to joining Rush in August 2005, Mr. Smith spent 12 years in Tampa at the University of South Florida as Executive Director of the USF Physicians Group and was Director of Clinical Planning for the USF Health Sciences Center. Prior to moving to Tampa, he spent five years in consulting in New York-based firms. Contact.
Ellie Svoboda, MLIS, AHIP
Ellie Svoboda, MLIS, AHIP, is the Education Informationist at the Strauss Health Sciences Library. In this role, she coordinates library classes and oversees Open Educational Resources initiatives on campus. She liaises with the College of Nursing and the School of Dental Medicine, and can provide research consultations to faculty, staff, and students in the School of Medicine. Please reach out if you have any questions about the library or would like a librarian to visit your class. Contact.
Cheryl Welch, MPA
Cheryl Welch, MPA, is the Director of Faculty Affairs of the University of Colorado School of Medicine, and has been in this role for more than 20 years. Welch manages all faculty appointments and promotions for the School of Medicine for over 5,500 full-time faculty, and 2,500 volunteer clinical faculty. Contact.
Bradford Winslow, MD, FAAFP
Bradford Winslow, MD, FAAFP, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine, Associate Dean for Continuing Medical Education (CME). Dr. Winslow supervises residents in their outpatient clinic, and teaches medical students in the Longitudinal Integrated Curriculum. He has been with the University of Colorado in some capacity for over 30 years since moving to Colorado for residency training. Dr. Winslow was a residency director for 16 years. He has been with the CME office for a year, with the goal of growing to ideally provide all of the university’s CME needs. Contact.
Julie Wolfe, MD
Julie Wolfe, MD, is a psychiatrist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry. She is currently the Medical Director of both Student and Resident Mental Health and Faculty and Staff Mental Health. Dr. Wolfe graduated from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and completed her psychiatry residency at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.
