Noteworthy—June, 2022
DIVISION NEWS, ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND AWARDS |
Lilia Cervantes, MD, Receives Colorado Health Foundation Award
Lilia Cervantes, MD, associate professor of medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine received the Dr. Virgilio Licona Community Health Leadership Award from the Colorado Health Foundation, recognizing her work to improve access to care for undocumented immigrants. The award was presented as a painting by Denver artist Arlette Lucero.
Fernando Holguin, MD, Receives ATS Award
Fernando Holguin, MD, professor of medicine in the Division of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine, received the Scientific Achievement Award from the Assembly on Allergy, Immunology & Inflammation at the American Thoracic Society meeting.
Christine Jones, MD; and Amy Yu, MD, Receive Best Poster Award
Christine Jones, MD, associate professor of medicine; and Amy Yu, MD assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine and their co-authors were selected for the Distinguished Professor of Geriatrics Best Poster Award at SGIM in Orlando, Florida in April 2022, for their poster “Risk factors for 6-month mortality in Medicare beneficiaries with heart failure discharged with home health services”
Division of Hospital Medicine Publishes Spring Newsletter
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Campus Honors 25-Year Faculty with Recognition Event
The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus recently held a reception honoring faculty who have been with the university for 25 years. This year, honorees from 2020, 2021 and 2022 were recognized in person and presented with medals. We congratulate all Department of Medicine faculty who were honored.
MILESTONES, APPOINTMENTS, NEW EMPLOYEES |
- We welcome all new employees to the Department of Medicine.
- Sunita Sharma, MD, has been selected to serve as Vice Chair for Faculty Development and Mentorship in the Department of Medicine. Read the full announcement..
- A retirement celebration symposium for Arthur Gutierrez-Hartmann, MD, professor emeritus from the Division of Endocrinology will be held June 3 at Krugman Hall from 9am–5pm. Option to attend via Zoom.
- Benjamin (Ben) Echalier, MS, MBA, has been appointed Assistant Vice Chancellor for Clinical Research Operations at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, effective July 1. Read the full announcement.
- The Office of Advancement announced that Breelyn Wilky, MD, associate professor in the Division of Medical Oncology, is named the inaugural chair holder for The Cheryl Bennett and McNeilly Family Endowed Chair in Sarcoma Research. Read the full announcement.
- On April 12, we welcomed Robert Eckel, MD, and his wife, Margaret, to campus to finalize their gift to establish a lectureship in the Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes. Dr. and Mrs. Eckel have generously made a gift to endow a lectureship in cardiometabolic medicine, which will be a partnership between the Division and the Division of Cardiology.Their goal with this lectureship is to help break down the silos in medicine and encourage deeper collaborations around the connections between diabetes and cardiovascular health. The first annual lecture will happen later this year.
Dr. Eckel is a Professor of Medicine Emeritus with appointments in the Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes and Division of Cardiology, and former Charles A. Boettcher II Endowed Chair in Atherosclerosis. In addition to his contributions and service at CU and among many other professional accomplishments, Dr. Eckel is past president of the following: American Heart Association, the American Diabetes Association (Medicine and Science), the Obesity Society, and the Association of Patient Oriented Research.
We thank the Eckels for their generosity and for this investment in the future of medicine.
IN MEMORIAM |
As noted in the recent Dean's Message, condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Morton Mower, MD, a cardiologist and co-inventor of the automatic implantable cardioverter defibrillator, who died April 25. The University of Colorado School of Medicine and Department of Medicine added Dr. Mower to our faculty when he moved to Denver around 2010, following a distinguished career at Sinai Hospital, where he rose to become chief of cardiology. He received his medical degree from the University of Maryland in 1959, served in the Army Medical Corps, and launched his professional career at Sinai in 1966. Throughout his life, Dr. Mower was a prolific inventor, and he is named on more than 80 patents.
SELECTED MEDIA CLIPS |
CU School of Medicine Research Defines the Role of HDAC6 in Regulating Heart Stiffness
Researchers at the University of Colorado School of Medicine have discovered an enzyme that regulates heart stiffness, setting the stage for developing novel treatments for heart failure. Timothy McKinsey, PhD, and Kathleen Woulfe, PhD, from the Division of Cardiology, found that the enzyme appears to act on titin to manage heart stiffness. (CU Anschutz Today)
Physical Activity Coaching Shows Benefits for People with Type 2 Diabetes
A program developed by Amy Huebschmann, MD, helps participants understand motivation and develop physical activity habits. (CU Anschutz Today)
An Aspirin a Day May Hurt More Than Help
Millions of Americans take aspirin to prevent a first heart attack or stroke. Now, doctors are advising against it—especially for people over 70. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force's position on aspirin use for prevention has seesawed over the decades, noted Dr. Allan Brett, an internist at the University of Colorado, in a JAMA editorial accompanying the new guidelines. The task force initially recommended in 1989 that patients consider aspirin, then backed off, calling the evidence insufficient. It encouraged preventive aspirin for many adults in 2009 but had grown more skeptical by 2016. (New York Times)