Dear Colleagues,
It’s been a very productive month since I’ve joined the Department of Medicine as your new Chair. In the virtual world that unfortunately is still ever-present in our lives, the chance hello’s in the hallways – with new and familiar faces – and in-person meet and greets have been treasured moments for me.
I’m continuing to work with our team to find meaningful opportunities to connect with all of you. This weekly (hopefully brief!) email is one of the ways I hope to do that – where I will share what I see happening in our day-to-day operations and highlight the people who are doing the important work to advance our missions. Please reach out to me with your ideas and thoughts. My inbox, so to speak, is always open to you.
In the new year, I will also host monthly informal “Coffee with Vineet” sessions to spark dialogue, get to know many of you, build camaraderie and break down silos. Sign up to participate here.
This Week’s Updates:
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The current COVID surge is taxing many of our teams. I want to extend my gratitude to all those who are making extraordinary efforts in our hospital and units, and recognize the ongoing sacrifices of our frontline providers and staff. To keep us all up to date and aware of all developments, I will also be reinstating town halls so you can hear from the experts and we can engage in meaningful discussions, Q&A.
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In our Division Head meetings this month, we discussed the future of our community practice enterprise. My overarching goal is to make the DOM a major clinical provider in the Denver Metro area and the preferred partner for UCHealth. To reach this goal, we must have the right structure in place within each of our Divisions. My approach is to create Director of Community Practice positions within each Division whose responsibility will be to focus on these efforts. All community-based providers would report to this Divisional leader who in turn will appoint site leaders for each site. Additionally, each Director of Community Practice will join a DOM Community Practice Council, overseen by Greg Austin, Vice Chair of Community Practice, to coordinate activities through the DOM. Larry Allen in Cardiology has already started this work and will lead this Division’s efforts as we transform our community practice model. I am grateful to Larry for taking this on and look forward to his leadership in this role.
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I’m excited to announce that we are embarking on a national search for an Executive Vice Chair. This person will be the second in command and will help define the strategic, clinical, operational and academic priorities for the DOM. They will also be a key liaison with our internal and external partners. Should you be interested in applying, or know of an excellent candidate, please do refer to the job posting here and the attached announcement that went out yesterday. In the coming weeks, I will start similar recruitments for the Vice Chair for Research and Vice Chair for Faculty Development and Mentoring - stay tuned for updates on these positions.
Due to the upcoming holiday, this email will take a hiatus until the following week. In the spirt of the Thanksgiving, I extend my sincere gratitude and appreciation to all of you. I hope you find time for rest and respite with your family and friends.
Thank you for your warm welcome to the DOM these past weeks as well – Colorado is starting to feel like home.
Vineet
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Vineet Chopra, MD, MSc
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