“Basketball, playing with sheep, playing with goats, playing with dogs, horse camp, friends ...”

Nine-year-old Danner Plumhoff is rattling off a list of her summer plans. Many of these activities wouldn’t have been possible for her last summer, when she was fresh off an intensive craniofacial surgery. It was her biggest surgery to date, but as a child with a rare variant of Crouzon syndrome, it was hardly her first.

Valerie Gleaton | July 20, 2021

Editor’s note: “Our COVID-19 Fighters” is an occasional series highlighting the ways the CU Anschutz Medical Campus community is helping patients and the wider community in the fight against the pandemic. We welcome your story ideas; please share them here.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to lurk in many communities, aided by vaccine hesitancy and the emergence of disease mutations like the Delta variant, physicians are still looking for effective ways to treat those who test positive for the virus.

Greg Glasgow | July 20, 2021

Matthew Rustici, MD, associate professor of pediatrics at CU School of Medicine, has been named a Macy Faculty Scholar for 2021.

School of Medicine | July 14, 2021

After a year of waiting, Christina Yannetsos, MD, is finally headed to the Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

Greg Glasgow | July 09, 2021

As a race that pits vaccine against virus forges on, a stealthy move by one contender might have just pushed the finish line farther out.

Debra Melani | July 06, 2021

Using a grainy, black-and-white video image of a mouse brain, Fabrice Dabertrand, PhD, demonstrates how a disease responsible for upwards of 40% of all dementia cases today steals the brain’s ability to nourish cells by halting vessel dilation.

Debra Melani | July 06, 2021

Myra Muramoto, MD, MPH, chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, has been named Chair of the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, effective Oct. 1, 2021.

School of Medicine | July 06, 2021

Matthew Bartley, MD, MS, has gone viral (as in trending in the world of social media).

Greg Glasgow | July 01, 2021

On June 28 the University of Colorado School of Medicine’s Center for Advancing Professional Excellence (CAPE) hosted the third installment in its virtual community event series “Being _____ On Anschutz Medical Campus.” The goal of the series is to connect with the Anschutz community and amplify diverse voices through candid conversations with members of underrepresented groups. Previous events centered on the Black and AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) communities.

Valerie Gleaton | June 30, 2021

Since a chance discovery by U.S. Army scientists studying mustard gas during World War II, chemotherapy has added countless years to cancer patients’ lives around the world.

Debra Melani | June 24, 2021

In her second year on the job at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Carey Candrian, PhD, was shadowing a hospice admissions nurse as she interviewed a dying woman in the patient’s home.

Debra Melani | June 17, 2021

In two recent articles published in Schizophrenia Bulletin, Sharon Hunter, PhD, an associate professor in the University of Colorado School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry, and M. Camille Hoffman, MD, MSc, an associate professor in the University of Colorado School of Medicine Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, along with their research group, have uncovered a potential link between choline deficiency in Black pregnant women in the United States and increased risk of developmental and behavioral issues that can evolve into mental illness later in their children’s lives.

Valerie Gleaton | June 16, 2021

U.S. News and World Report released its 2021–22 Best Children’s Hospitals rankings this week. Children’s Hospital Colorado ranked number 6 nationally and placed seven pediatric specialties in the top 10, including a number-one ranking for gastroenterology and gastrointestinal surgery. Children’s Colorado is affiliated with the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Together, the institutions are a national center for clinical care and medical research.

School of Medicine | June 15, 2021

As controversy swirls around the first disease-modifying Alzheimer’s drug ever approved, top experts at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus see the move – for the most part – as a step forward.

Debra Melani | June 15, 2021

Patients’ rights advocates scored a major victory in April, when a provision went into effect that allows patients immediate access to all information in their medical records, including physician notes and test results. The change is part of the 21st Century Cures Act, which was passed by Congress in 2016 and continues to be updated.

Greg Glasgow | June 14, 2021

Research and treatment of head and neck cancers at the University of Colorado Cancer Center reached a new level this month with a highly competitive Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPORE) grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The SPORE was approved by NCI Scientific Program leadership for FY2021 funding; the projected starting date is July 1

Greg Glasgow | June 07, 2021

As a doctor on the front lines in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lilia Cervantes, MD, quickly saw the disproportionate toll the virus was taking on Denver’s Latino community.

Greg Glasgow | June 04, 2021

The University of Colorado School of Medicine Hooding & Oath Ceremony took place Friday, May 28, 2021, at 9 a.m. Due to ongoing COVID-19 precautions, the in-person ceremony was limited to the 184 members of the class of 2021, their personal CU School of Medicine faculty hooders, and up to two vaccinated guests each. The event was also livestreamed for friends and family members unable to attend in person.  

Valerie Gleaton | May 28, 2021

On May 19, 2021, more than 20 medical students from the University of Colorado School of Medicine, along with a handful of residents, fellows, and faculty members from the Department of Surgery, gathered in the home of Yihan Lin, MD, MPH, a cardiothoracic surgery fellow.

Valerie Gleaton | May 27, 2021

After a year of many celebrations being held virtually, the University of Colorado School of Medicine will celebrate this year's graduates with an intimate hooding and oath ceremony on Friday, May 28, 2021.

School of Medicine | May 25, 2021

One of the most difficult nights of Hank Baskett Sr.’s life was the night he told his wife he had been diagnosed with lung cancer.

Greg Glasgow | May 24, 2021

If she wanted to be hooded by her most important mentor, University of Colorado School of Medicine student Sara Delenn Graves knew she couldn’t wait until graduation.

Greg Glasgow | May 21, 2021

After seeing the tragic COVID-19 crisis unfolding in India, Saketh Guntupalli, MD, associate professor of gynecologic oncology in the University of Colorado School of Medicine and member of the University of Colorado Cancer Center, decided to do something about it.

Greg Glasgow | May 19, 2021

Long before RNA and mRNA became important parts of the COVID-19 vaccine conversation, researchers at the University of Colorado School of Medicine were studying how RNA biology can improve diagnostics and therapeutics for a range of diseases.

Greg Glasgow | May 18, 2021

For Simon Feseha, attending the University of Colorado School of Medicine was a little bit like coming home.

Greg Glasgow | May 18, 2021

Siri Lindley couldn’t swim. She had never learned how and the idea of competing in a triathlon seemed completely out of the question.

Cancer Center | May 16, 2021

With graduation approaching, Eliza Baird-Daniel is looking forward to returning to her hometown of Seattle, Washington, to begin her residency. Baird-Daniel came to the University of Colorado School of Medicine after earning her undergraduate degree in neurobiology from Cornell University. We sat down with her to find out why she went into medicine, what she hopes to accomplish in the future, and what advice she’d give to new medical students.

Valerie Gleaton | May 14, 2021

It feels odd to use the phrase “perfect timing” when talking about a cancer diagnosis, but that’s exactly how Tonya Quinn describes her experience being diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago.  

Valerie Gleaton | May 12, 2021

Gavi Roda’s journey to medicine was seeded at a young age but didn’t fully blossom until her teenage years. As a child, she traveled frequently with her parents, Veralex and Greg Roda. Her family crisscrossed the world and moved more than eight times, including living in Singapore for four years, before finding a home in Broomfield, Colorado.

Chanthy Na | May 10, 2021

When Sarah Massena joined the Center for Surgical Innovation (CSI) as executive director in 2007, she saw the role as an ideal way to merge her interests in science and business.

Valerie Gleaton | May 04, 2021

Fredric Pieracci, MD, MPH/MSPH, an associate professor in the University of Colorado School of Medicine Department of Surgery, is the senior author on a new paper published in Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases that details the results of a public health initiative to provide affordable bariatric surgery to uninsured Denver County residents.  

Valerie Gleaton | April 28, 2021

When children’s rights expert Warren Binford, JD, EdM, reported in 2019 that children in migration were held by the U.S. government in squalid conditions at the southern border, her description – based on interviews with the children and site inspections of the facilities – was denounced by White House officials and its allies as untrue.

Mark Couch | April 27, 2021

Bryan Raymond was very nearly just another grim entry on the ever-growing list of COVID-19 fatalities. But thanks to efforts by faculty members in the University of Colorado School of Medicine and Department of Surgery, Raymond is a COVID statistic of a different sort — the first person in Colorado to receive a lung transplant related to the virus.

Greg Glasgow | April 26, 2021

The new University of Colorado School of Medicine at Colorado State University (CU SOM at CSU) branch campus will welcome its first four-year cohort of 12 medical students in Fort Collins this July. The branch will provide new avenues for clinical training for students as well as an opportunity to collaborate with another of Colorado’s top universities.  

Valerie Gleaton | April 23, 2021

Thirty days of radiation treatments — five days a week, with Saturdays and Sundays off — are difficult for even the toughest of adults. But for a child, they’re even harder to bear. They involve fasting, waking up early, and lying in a dark room alone, without even your parents there for support.

Greg Glasgow | April 21, 2021

The Class of 2025, whose members arrive on campus in July to begin their first year of medical school, will usher in a new era at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. It will be the first class to experience a reimagined curriculum aimed at getting students into hospitals earlier and connecting them with patients in a more meaningful way, with a renewed focus on community engagement and social determinants of health.

Greg Glasgow | April 20, 2021

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday recommended a nationwide pause on the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine because six women who received the vaccine have experienced a rare type of blood clot.

Greg Glasgow | April 16, 2021

A lot has changed in the 20 years since University of Colorado School of Medicine researchers Meredith Mealer, PhD, RN, and Marc Moss, MD, started studying the effects of stress on critical-care nurses.

Greg Glasgow | April 14, 2021

April is National Donate Life Month — an awareness month that encourages Americans to register as organ, eye, and tissue donors and that honors those who have saved lives through the gift of donation.

Valerie Gleaton | April 09, 2021

For the past nine years, the Surgical Outcomes and Applied Research (SOAR) group at the University of Colorado School of Medicine has been conducting research on health services within the Department of Surgery. A large part of that research has to do with clinical outcomes for surgery patients and how patients fare — in the short term and the long term — after an operation.

Greg Glasgow | April 07, 2021

Osteoarthritis affects the joints, but according to researcher Michael Zuscik, PhD, it may start in the gut.

Valerie Gleaton | April 02, 2021

The University of Colorado School of Medicine is listed No. 6 in primary care and No. 27 in research on the Best Medical School rankings released today by U.S. News and World Report.

School of Medicine | March 30, 2021

As a scientist and medical researcher, Emily Bates, PhD, was relieved and grateful to be able to take a COVID-19 vaccine. But when she began talking to others who didn’t work in medicine, she was surprised to find skepticism and resistance to the vaccines that can end the pandemic. 

Greg Glasgow | March 29, 2021

Patients facing accidental hypothermia in both wilderness and urban environments need quick and critical assessments to determine treatment of care.

Chanthy Na | March 25, 2021

As they look back on one of the most challenging years in their medical careers, members of the Department of Surgery at the University of Colorado School of Medicine remember the low points — the crowded emergency rooms, the delayed surgeries, the deaths from the disease — but they remember some high points as well.

Greg Glasgow | March 24, 2021

When COVID-19 struck during his first year of medical school in 2020, Michael Skaggs was still a few years away from being able to provide clinical care to patients. But he was right on time to put his skills as a former engineer and whitewater rafting company manager to work.

Valerie Gleaton | March 23, 2021

For the second year in a row, the University of Colorado School of Medicine Match Day celebration was hosted virtually for students, faculty, staff, family, and friends due to the pandemic. Instead of a mad dash to retrieve an envelope from a bulletin board, like the Match Day Jeff Druck, MD, assistant dean of student affairs, experienced, this year’s Match announcement was replaced by an email that promptly hit inboxes at 10 a.m. MDT on Friday, March 19.

Emma Brokaw | March 22, 2021

It's a time-honored tradition that many medical students dream about. You receive a message, you open it, and suddenly it seems like everything in your life changes. For medical students who are about to graduate, Match Day is a career-defining moment.

School of Medicine | March 19, 2021

Some kids dread a visit to the doctor’s office, but Sanju Garimella always loved it. In fact, she loved it so much that she spent a day shadowing her pediatrician for a fifth-grade class assignment.

School of Medicine | March 18, 2021

With Match Day approaching, Michael Levy is looking forward to finding out where he will spend the next four years during his residency. Michael came to the University of Colorado School of Medicine after earning his undergraduate degree in human biology from Stanford University.

School of Medicine | March 16, 2021

Khyla Burrows wants to pay it forward. Physicians helped the fourth-year medical student through her share of injuries when she was a young ski racer growing up in Winter Park, Colorado.

Greg Glasgow | March 11, 2021

Kia Washington, MD, looks back on her undergraduate experience as four years that helped to shape who she is. One of those years in particular stands out as not just formative, but transformative.

Greg Glasgow | March 08, 2021

As Anthony Scott awaits Match Day on March 19, when he’ll find out where he will spend the next four years as a resident in psychiatry, he doesn’t find his mind wandering far. Scott, who received undergraduate and graduate degrees at Arizona State University before coming to the University of Colorado School of Medicine, hopes to stay on the Anschutz Medical Campus for his residency, working with some of the same physicians and faculty members he trained with as a medical student.

Greg Glasgow | March 08, 2021

Ashton Villars has always been a problem solver. As a competitive athlete in basketball, waterskiing, and tennis and an actual rocket scientist, Villars has tackled every challenge in life head on — including his prostate cancer diagnosis. Now, he’s bringing that same problem-solving spirit to supporting cancer research. 

Valerie Gleaton | March 05, 2021

Melissa A. Haendel, PhD, has been named Chief Research Informatics Officer (CRIO) for the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, a newly created position responsible for transforming the campus use of information and information systems to accelerate biomedical discoveries, streamline health system operations, and continuously improve patient care. 

School of Medicine | March 04, 2021

“Diversity and inclusion in medicine can save lives.” That was the message from Robert Higgins, MD, MSHA, director of the Department of Surgery and surgeon-in-chief at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

Department of Surgery | February 25, 2021

The University of Colorado School of Medicine on the Anschutz Medical Campus today announced the establishment of the Charles J. Blackwood, MD, Endowed Memorial Scholarship to support Black and other underrepresented medical students.

School of Medicine | February 22, 2021

Five years ago, the Section of Wilderness and Environmental Medicine (WEM) at the University of Colorado School of Medicine journeyed to Greenland to provide health care services for researchers at the U.S. National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Summit Station.

Chanthy Na | February 19, 2021

James Burton, MD, professor of medicine and medical director of liver transplantation at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, says he and his colleagues are already starting to see the effect pandemic drinking is having on patients.  

Valerie Gleaton | February 15, 2021

Even amid an increase in medical school applications across the country, the University of Colorado School of Medicine stands out. Outpacing the rise at most other medical schools, the CU School of Medicine has seen its number of applications double in the past five years, jumping 35% in the past year alone, compared to an increase of 18% nationwide. More than 14,000 candidates from around the world applied for one of just 184 seats in the class of 2025.

School of Medicine | February 12, 2021

Katherine Green, MD, MS, assistant professor of otolaryngology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and medical director of the UCHealth Sleep Medicine Clinic, knows how important sleep is to our overall well-being. She also knows that the stresses of the past year — the COVID-19 pandemic, social and political unrest — have had detrimental effects on our sleep.

School of Medicine | February 08, 2021

Along with art and music, science classes are often among the first to go when a school is faced with budget cuts.

Greg Glasgow | February 04, 2021

A pilot program to offer mental health services offered resident physicians at the University of Colorado School of Medicine provides a model for confidential and affordable help, according to an article published today by the journal Academic Medicine.

School of Medicine | February 04, 2021

Natalia Vergara, PhD, assistant professor of ophthalmology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, has been awarded a 3D ROC prize by the National Eye Institute (NEI) for her research team’s work to create better models to accelerate the development of new therapies for retinal diseases.

School of Medicine | February 03, 2021

For the past 20 years, the Union for International Cancer Control has designated February 4 as World Cancer Day — a day to raise awareness, improve education, and catalyze personal, collective, and government action around the deadly disease. The organization hopes to reduce the number of premature deaths from cancer and noncommunicable diseases by one-third by 2030.

Cancer Center | February 02, 2021

Patients need and deserve the undivided attention of clinicians providing their care, but frequent interruptions and pressure to be responsive to colleagues can have detrimental impacts on the quality of care.

School of Medicine | January 28, 2021

Dean John J. Reilly, Jr., MD, highlighted some of the CU School of Medicine’s accomplishments over the past five years and outlined key initiatives moving forward in his annual State of the School address on January 13. He also spoke to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

School of Medicine | January 15, 2021

College football players may underestimate their risk of injury and concussion, according to a new study published today in JAMA Network Open.

School of Medicine | December 29, 2020

In October, ACCORDS (Adult and Child Consortium for Health Outcomes Research and Delivery Science) and the Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute invited a panel of several current and former students from the University of Colorado School of Medicine to share their experiences working on community-based projects with the Committed to Community program through 2040 Partners for Health, an Aurora, Colorado based nonprofit that works to eliminate health disparities and improve health in marginalized communities in the Denver metro area.

School of Medicine | December 23, 2020

COVID-19 is the most-talked-about health concern in 2020, but for many, it is not the deadliest disease. University of Colorado (CU) Cancer Center leadership is bringing attention to the fact that more people will die from cancer than COVID this year.

Cancer Center | December 22, 2020

The world got to know Gitanjali Rao on December 3, 2020, the day Time magazine named her its first ever “Kid of the Year.”

The 15-year-old scientist and inventor from Lone Tree, Colorado, was recognized for her projects addressing prescription opioid addiction, contaminated water, cyberbullying and more, as well as her desire to bring together a community of young innovators from around the world to help solve global problems.

Greg Glasgow | December 21, 2020

Immunologists from the University of Colorado School of Medicine this week expressed confidence in the COVID-19 vaccines and encouraged people to get vaccinations when they become available. They also addressed frequently asked questions about how the vaccines work, why they have confidence in the process that created the vaccines, and who should get the shots.

School of Medicine | December 18, 2020

With the FDA emergency approval of the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer last week and Moderna approval due any day, immunizations against the deadliest pandemic in the past 100 years will begin this week.

School of Medicine | December 14, 2020

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has named two faculty members at the University of Colorado School of Medicine among its 2020 class of AAAS Fellows. The honor recognizes researchers whose efforts on behalf of the advancement of science or its applications in service to society have distinguished them among their peers and colleagues.

School of Medicine | December 11, 2020

Doctors see it every day in clinics and emergency rooms around the world: the ever-worsening effects of climate change on human health.

School of Medicine | December 09, 2020

Until you or a loved one are facing treatment for a cancer diagnosis, you may not realize the cost associated with treatment and doctor visits. Unfortunately, the cost is continuing to rise as new treatments are discovered and patients are responsible for more of those costs, even if they have health insurance coverage.

Cancer Center | November 24, 2020

If you live in or have visited Colorado, you most likely noticed that the state loves its outdoors. With 300 days of sunshine a year, many enjoy hiking, playing at a park or grabbing a craft brew on a patio. But with that love of sunshine comes an increased risk for skin cancer.

School of Medicine | October 28, 2020

Casey Greene, PhD, has been named director of the new Center for Health Artificial Intelligence at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, where he will lead the creation of a center building communities that use sophisticated data analysis methods to advance research and improve clinical practice on the Anschutz Medical Campus.

School of Medicine | October 20, 2020

Success rates for in vitro fertilization are higher at clinics that voluntarily share more information than required by government regulators, according to new research by faculty at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

School of Medicine | October 18, 2020

In palliative care, there’s a saying, “Communication is the procedure.” When talking about communication in palliative care at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, Carey Candrian, PhD, is the go-to expert.

School of Medicine | October 12, 2020

Infectious disease specialist Carlos Franco-Paredes, MD, MPH, has helped save lives during the COVID-19 pandemic by inspecting county jails, advising state prison leaders, and advocating for safer conditions for people held in immigration detention centers.

School of Medicine | October 12, 2020

Michael Harris-Love, PT, MPT, DSc, who became the head of the University of Colorado School of Medicine Physical Therapy Program last year, describes himself as an “unlikely candidate” for physical therapy school.

School of Medicine | October 12, 2020

Sarah Rowan, MD, an infectious disease specialist at Denver Health and associate professor of medicine at CU School of Medicine, paints portraits to relax and take a break from the grind of work, but in the midst of the pandemic, her hobby took on newfound importance.

School of Medicine | October 12, 2020

Sean O’Leary, MD, MPH, professor of pediatrics, has been on the School of Medicine faculty since 2010. He trained in the CU residency program at Children’s Hospital Colorado, practiced as a general pediatrician in Fort Collins for eight years, before returning to the Anschutz Medical Campus in 2007 to do his fellowship in Pediatric Infectious Diseases.

School of Medicine | October 12, 2020

The University of Colorado School of Medicine is proud of our faculty's work at UCHealth that contributes to its annual rankings on the U.S. News & World Report's Best Hospitals. These rankings are important as many students, residents, faculty, and patients consider these rankings when deciding where to train, practice and receive care. 

School of Medicine | October 07, 2020

Some forms of blindness and visual impairment can be cured with a corneal transplant surgery using donated eye tissue. However, federal regulations in the United States and Canada severely restrict the ability of sexually active gay and bisexual men from donating their eye tissue.

School of Medicine | September 24, 2020

This summer, many parents scrambled as summer camps for their children were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Desperate parents were searching for safe activities that could engage their children after a spring of remote learning and lockdown at home.

Chanthy Na | September 23, 2020