Dear All,
There are many happenings in the Department of Medicine to share this week! A few highlights include:
- Jennifer Christie, MD, FASGE, AGAF, has been appointed the new Division Head of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, starting Sept. 16, 2023. Dr. Christie is a world-renowned physician-scientist, clinician and administrator. We are so fortunate to have her leading this division and as part of our team. You will find more details about Dr. Christie in her official announcement.
- One of our star GI faculty, Swati Patel, MD, was invited to the White House to join the Cancer Moonshot Colorectal Cancer Forum on March 10. Dr. Patel was also highlighted in a 9News interview, "Raising awareness for colorectal cancer".
- Mark Earnest, MD, for his March 9 publication in The New England Journal of Medicine, “When Cancer Cured Pain.” This is Dr. Earnest's third Perspective in the NEJM this year and as always, is heartfelt and powerful.
- Our Staff Mentorship Program finished its pilot year with a fantastic recognition event. Thank you to Cheryl Loudd, Jordan Hirsch and all the participants in this program for its success! Our next program will begin in September – keep an eye out for more information to come.
- I would like to remind you all that Research Day is on April 18. Building community and collaboration is key to research, so this year we are hosting an in-person-only event. We look forward to seeing you there for a terrific poster session, two fantastic keynote speakers – Audrey J. Murrell, PhD and Distinguished Professor (and Nobel Prize in Chemistry winner) Thomas Cech, PhD – and a reception thereafter.
- There have been many questions on how our research dollars are accrued and where these funds are applied. To share more information, we have organized a Research Funds Flow Town Hall led by Amy Gannon and Terri Carrothers on April 12 at 2 p.m. Please attend to understand the financial realties and challenges associated with research funding on campus.
- Finally, today is Match Day! Residency programs across the country found out who their next class of interns will be. Look for emails from DOM Announcements on the amazing match results for both the Internal Medicine and Medicine Pediatrics Residency Programs.
As many of you are aware, and as have been mentioned by Dean Reilly and Liz Concordia, several legislative proposals focused on healthcare are making their way through our government. These bills will have significant impact on our health system and school, so I want to share key points about them with all of you:
- The first bill, HB23-1215, is commonly referred to as the Facility Fees Bill. The bill seeks to eliminate facility fees that support clinic staff and operations. As currently written, this bill would prohibit facility fees that support clinic staff at many of our outpatient locations. If passed, this bill would result in catastrophic financial losses that may force clinic closures, significantly reducing access to healthcare, jobs and our financial wellbeing.
- The second bill, HB23-1243, referred to as the Community Benefit Bill makes UCHealth contributions made towards uncompensated healthcare and School of Medicine support – including education, research – ineligible for consideration as charitable donations. This bill would significantly affect SOM funding for our many academic missions. The impact of this bill on the financial operations of the School – and subsequently the department – would be significant.
In response to these first two bills, UCHealth and the School have engaged in broad-reaching outreach efforts targeting administrators/bill sponsors, the legislature, leaders across the State and School, community partners and patients and the public. A significant component of this work will include educating our patients and the public on the impact of these changes. Our leadership will be testifying at House hearings to advocate and educate our legislators on these aspects and you may also see signage outside of clinics, commercials, targeted-patient emails and more as part of this campaign. I encourage you to all engage in efforts aimed at educating ourselves and the public on these bills. Your advocacy and engagement in helping reshape these bills is therefore vital.
- The third and final bill, SB23-188, the Provider Protection Act, is aimed to enhance protection for those who provide and receive reproductive and gender-affirming care in Colorado. The School and all of our departments are united in our support of this bill, which we hope will pass with minimal challenges.
Despite these politically uncertain times, I want to remind all of you that our School and department are strong, that we are well positioned to inform these actions, and that we will not only survive these challenges, but shine through them. I ask that we stand together, arm ourselves with facts, ask the right questions, and inspire positivity during this time. Thanks for all you each do every day to provide humanistic care, education and groundbreaking research. I will keep you all updated on these aspects and more.
Onwards,
Vineet
September 15, 2023