In a departure from tradition, this year’s State of the Campus address at CU Anschutz brought together top leaders from the university and its hospital affiliates for a candid, forward-looking conversation about the future of academic medicine and healthcare.
Held in the Education 2 South Auditorium and streamed live to more than 1,200 virtual attendees, the event featured Chancellor Don Elliman alongside Jena Hausmann, president and CEO of Children’s Hospital Colorado; Elizabeth Concordia, president and CEO of UCHealth; and Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs and School of Medicine Dean John Sampson, MD, PhD, MBA. Together, they addressed pressing challenges and shared a vision for navigating the road ahead.
“This year looks different – because the times demand it,” Elliman said in his opening remarks. “The hardest thing to deal with, for any institution, as we're thinking of its future, is uncertainty. We know storms are gathering, but we don’t yet know how or when they’ll hit. So how do we prepare? We stay flexible, focused and grounded in our mission.”
Find highlights of State of the Campus 2025 and view our companion report here.
Despite economic headwinds, regulatory pressures and workforce challenges, each panelist emphasized a steadfast commitment to a shared mission. Jena Hausmann highlighted Children's Hospital Colorado's national and international growth, driven by a culture of collaboration and excellence. “We have 17,000 team members who come every day just genuinely committed to do right by kids and families and the health of children,” she said.
Hausmann also noted that Children’s Colorado cares for about 70% of all of Colorado's children and helps children from across all 50 states. With 50% of those patients on Medicaid, she underscored the urgent need for national leadership that prioritizes children's health.
Liz Concordia echoed concerns about reimbursement and regulation, yet she shared cause for optimism, pointing to UCHealth’s adaptability, innovation and strong partnerships as key drivers of success. "We have an amazing partnership with our clinicians,” she said. “We have incredible quality outcomes. We're very proud of the experience that our patients have."
When asked about financial sustainability, Concordia said, "I think every day we're looking at how we can be as efficient as possible." She spoke to the importance of mitigating risks and ensuring that policymakers understand the potential impacts of new legislation and regulation. "What we have here is really quite unique and special, and it takes a long time to build a world-class program. But once you tear a program down, it takes a long time to build it back, if you ever can." She also underscored the critical need to attract new, innovative employers to Colorado by creating a more business-friendly state. Colorado has a highly regulated environment, which may deter some investments and harm the financial sustainability of healthcare providers.
Dean Sampson reaffirmed the School of Medicine’s ambitious goal to become a top 10 institution in 10 years, citing growth in research funding, clinical productivity and educational innovation. “Hell yeah,” he said, when asked if the goal was still achievable, noting it will take not only collaboration with our hospital partners but also excellence and collaboration across our schools and college. He added, "With this team, I never doubted that was going to be the case."
Audience questions spanned topics including artificial intelligence, research funding, workforce and more. The panel explored the transformative potential of AI, emphasizing its role as “augmented intelligence” that supports – not replaces – caregivers. They also discussed the importance of remaining apolitical in a politicized environment, while standing firm in defense of our core values and commitment to patient-centered care.
From virtual health platforms to rural outreach to the newly established CU Anschutz Campus Mental Health Collaborative, a common commitment to innovation across institutions is expanding access to resources and care in Colorado and beyond. When discussing our differentiators as a top academic medical campus, the leaders emphasized the importance of coordinated care, seamless transitions between pediatric and adult services, and our uniqueness in covering the full lifecycle of care.
Hausmann noted, “We can look across the lifespan together, and that's powerful. And that attracts a certain kind of talent and retains a certain kind of talent because we're not shooting for anything other than extraordinary all the time."
When asked to name our greatest strengths, the answers were unanimous: our people, our partnerships, our shared commitment to excellence. The panelists also noted our nimbleness – crediting our ability to adapt and innovate with setting us apart in a rapidly changing landscape.
As the campus community looks ahead, the message was clear: We will face challenges together, rise together and continue to serve our communities with compassion and purpose.
Elliman concluded by focusing on our mission, our North Star, saying, “We have a North Star. We know what our missions are, and those haven't changed. Our job is to figure out how to execute them to the best of our abilities through whatever circumstances are coming down the pike. That's an exciting challenge, and with your help, I think that we will prosper."
Photo at top: from left, Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs and School of Medicine Dean John Sampson, MD, PhD, MBA; Jena Hausmann, president and CEO of Children’s Hospital Colorado; Elizabeth Concordia, president and CEO of UCHealth; and Chancellor Don Elliman.