Dear Colleagues,
The hint of fall is in the air and as the season turns, I look ahead to many important activities that have begun or will soon launch in the Department of Medicine.
It has been wonderful to see many of you at our weekly Grand Rounds which are now being held in person at Krugman Hall every Wednesday at Noon. Starting September 27, we will also resume our Research and Innovation Conferences (RIC) in person on Tuesdays at Noon in Room 6101 in the Academic Office Building. The RIC is an exciting venue where you will hear about novel work from some of our best and brightest talent. I highly encourage you to attend and hope to see many of you there. As always, lunch will be served at both Grand Rounds and our RIC conference (so there is more than one good reason to attend!).
Our WellDOM Champions recently held their third annual retreat with a focus on developing strategies to value DOM members. As well, leaders in WellDOM have been pouring over data from surveys conducted by the School and UC Health. In the coming weeks, Dean Reilly will be conducting a town hall to discuss the findings of the survey and next steps from the SOM. In parallel, the DOM will be developing our own tactics to validate and deepen our understanding of the data to determine where we should focus our wellness efforts.
This is National Hispanic American Heritage Month (Sept. 15–Oct. 15) whose theme is “Unidos: Inclusivity for a Stronger Nation.” This month is selected among many of the year as it is the anniversary of independence for Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Many of our colleagues in the DOM hail from these nations, have family in these countries and many others. Please help shine a light on these faculty in your many meetings and venues – remembering both how far we have come but also how much farther we need to go to achieve true inclusivity. I look forward to doing the same, educating employees, acknowledging disparities, and partaking in many of the campus activities planned for the month.
On the administrative front, FY24 negotiations for support and programmatic development between the Department and UCHealth have begun. These discussions include staffing needs and priorities for the new tower which is on track to open next year. I am pleased to share that there is strong alignment between us, the SOM and UCHealth as we enter these conversations. While financial negotiations are never easy or straightforward, we are tracking together on big picture items and strategic investment opportunities. I am optimistic about the outcomes.
I will close by sharing that next month will mark one year to my assuming the role of Chair of the Department. It has been quite the growth experience and I have learned a lot about where we are during this period. I look forward to sharing facts about the year, opportunities for the future and key achievements you have all made at the State of the Department Address in December. I hope to see many of you there.
Onwards,
Vineet
Vineet Chopra, MBBS, MD, MSc
Robert W. Schrier Chair of Medicine
Professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
12631 E 17th Avenues, Aurora, CO 80045 | Mail Stop B178
E: vineet.chopra@cuanschutz.edu
Executive Assistant: Brita Alley
E: brita.alley@ucdenver.edu
September 15, 2023