Dear CCTSI research community,
We live in an age where technology is evolving at a rate I could not have imagined just a decade ago. As an example, in 2019, the CU-CSU Summit (our annual research conference) was titled AI and Machine Learning in Biomedical Research. Fast forward just five years and AI is completely different with the advent of generative AI and large language models. That is why we are again tackling Research Innovations in Health AI at the 2024 CU-CSU Summit.
The aim of the CU-CSU Summit is to attract researchers from all four CCTSI campuses – CU Anschutz, CU Boulder, CU Denver and Colorado State University – to network and forge research collaborations. Once the agenda is final, we will share it, but you can be sure the Summit will feature fascinating keynote speakers and a poster session. Submit your abstract today for the poster session and for a chance to deliver a Lightning Talk at the conference.
Leadership Announcements
We are excited to share the news about several new leadership positions at the CCTSI. I am honored to announce that Jayashree Kalpathy-Cramer, PhD, will join the CCTSI as director of Health Informatics. Dr. Kalpathy-Cramer is an engineer with deep experience in bioinformatics and AI research. Read more about her here.
On June 1, Kevin Messacar, MD, PhD, joined the CCTSI as associate director of CCTSI Resources and Services. In this role, he will work closely with Wendy Kohrt, PhD, director of resources and services, to oversee and integrate many crucial CCTSI resources. Natalie Nokoff, MD, and Christopher Baker, MD, will serve as medical co-directors of the Pediatric CTRC located at Children’s Hospital Colorado. You may read about all three clinical research leaders here. William Cornwell, MD, will join the Adult Clinical Translational Research Center as associate medical director. For the past eight years, Dr. Cornwell has led high-impact cardiovascular research in the CTRC. You may read about some of his recent work here.
Last week, campus leaders, clinical research nurses, clinicians and research staff came together to bid Phil Zeitler, MD, a fond thank you for many years of service to the CCTSI. For more than 20 years, Dr. Zeitler has provided compassionate and unparalleled care to children and adolescents in the diabetes clinic at Children’s Hospital Colorado and as the Section Chief for Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes. He has served as Medical Director for the pediatric CTRC for over 16 years. His accolades are too numerous to list but suffice to say, his research has changed treatment recommendations for pediatric diabetic care worldwide. Best of luck to you as you step down from this role as Pediatric CTRC Medical Director, Phil. We will miss you.
Perspective
And if you have not had the chance to read “Learning to Say Goodbye” in the New England Journal of Medicine by James Feinstein, MD, I highly recommend you do. I have always been proud to work among clinicians and caregivers who are some of the most compassionate and talented individuals in academic medicine. This essay simply reinforces that notion.
All the best,
Ron
June 25, 2024