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State of the School: Sampson Salutes Successes and Maps ‘Top 10 in 10 Years’

CU School of Medicine Dean John H. Sampson, MD, delivers his first State of the School address, highlighting institutional growth, achievement, and the challenges ahead.

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by Kara Mason | January 30, 2025
Dean Sampson gives his State of the School Address in front of a screen that shows various statistics about the CU School of Medicine

The University of Colorado School of Medicine continued an upward trajectory in 2024.

In his first State of the School address, Dean John H. Sampson, MD, PhD, MBA, highlighted important research, patient care, and education happening across the school. He also acknowledged future challenges and the wave of uncertainty that has accompanied recent shifts in federal priorities.

“You should know that we remain steadfast advocates for our people and your work,” Sampson said during his Jan. 29 address. “Medical research and comprehensive care are central to our institutional mission, which is to educate, to innovate, and to improve all human lives.”

For 2025, and the decade that follows, Sampson mapped a future he says will continue to raise the school’s profile and support the future of health care.   

New leadership and growing accolades

In his address, Sampson lauded new leaders across the school and how they contribute to the future success of students and trainees.

In 2024, Geoffrey Connors, MD, was named associate dean for graduate medical education and Erika Freitas, PhD, became the new director of the CU Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education. For clinical leadership, Shikha Sundaram, MD, MSCI, was named associate dean for child health and Mark Young, MBA, was named associate dean for community practice.

Sampson himself joined the campus in July following the retirement of John J. Reilly, Jr., MD, who served as the school’s dean since 2015.

“His tenure was a transformational period for the school and his dedication was key to its growth,” Sampson said of Reilly. “During Dr. Reilly’s time as dean, our clinical, educational, and research programs grew, we attracted top talent, and we secured substantial philanthropic support.”

In those nine years, the school’s annual research grant portfolio increased from $359 million to nearly $600 million, making it a top tier research institution ranked by U.S. World and News Report. The number of faculty grew from 3,503 to over 5,000, and applications to the medical school increased to more than 10,000 applicants each year.

A photo of the State of the School crowd.

Sampson highlighted other faculty members who received important honors throughout the year:

  • Tracy Bale, MD, professor of psychiatry, who was elected to the National Academy of Medicine.
  • Lilia Cervantes, MD, professor of medicine and director of immigrant health, received the Bernard Lown Award for Social Responsibility.
  • Aimee Gardner, PhD, professor of surgery and associate dean for faculty development, earned a Fulbright Scholarship to study leadership development in Ireland.

Four faculty members from the campus were named University of Colorado distinguished professors, the system’s highest honor. Pediatrics professors Nancy Krebs, MD; Donald Y.M. Leung, MD, PhD; Kurt Stenmark, MD; were awarded the honor along with Jill M. Norris, PhD, MPH, professor and chair of epidemiology at the Colorado School of Public Health.

“These individual accomplishments contribute to an extraordinary community of achievement,” Sampson said. “You are that community, and you have helped make the state of our school so strong.”

Successful clinical and research enterprises also support educational programming. “Our trainees are the future stars of medicine and health science,” he said.

Life-changing research and care

Physicians and researchers alike continued accomplishing impressive feats and leading the way on innovation in 2024, Sampson said.

Last year, surgery professors Kia Washington, MD, and Christene Huang, PhD, received up to $46 million in federal funding through the ARPA-H program to study whole eye transplantations – a project Washington has described as a “moonshot.”

Sampson highlighted how faculty members are already making differences in patients’ lives, too.

Last year, CU Cancer Center members Dan Pollyea, MD, MS, Christine McMahon, MD, and Jonathan Gutman, MD, cared for college football coach Matt Lubick, who was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. Lubick enrolled in a clinical trial led by Pollyea and inspired his health care team while walking a marathon through the halls of UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital.

Additionally, partnerships with Denver Health, Children’s Hospital Colorado, UCHealth, and the Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center help fulfill the school’s mission of community service, Sampson said.

“We work with state officials to serve all who need care. In 2024, we served residents in all 64 counties of the state. We also support 120 community-based programs covering a range of physical and mental health needs across Colorado,” he said.

Challenges and opportunities ahead

A strong foundation in education, research, and clinical care will help the school weather existing and coming challenges, Sampson said.

“Changes to federal policy – even when they may be temporary or rescinded – add uncertainty,” he said. “We saw this last week with pauses in activity at the National Institutes of Health and with executive actions related to programs that promote equity.”

Physicians are also affected by growing workloads and an evolving clinical landscape.

“We stand ready to address challenges we will face in the years ahead,” he said.

A close-up shot of Dean Sampson addressing the faculty and research in his first State of the School.

Part of Sampson’s vision for the future is his ambitious “Top 10 in 10 Years” plan, which he pitched during his interview to become dean.

“Our strategy is to engage with you in multiple projects that will create a more efficient organization at our school, stronger relationships with our partners, growth opportunities for you and for our school, and recognition that our people are our greatest asset,” he said.

The plan will establish multiple new committees that will tackle assignments such as building a collaborative culture, establishing a community strategy, raising the voice of advanced practice professionals, and adopting new data standards to better understand how work is completed.

Sampson will also begin by hosting a series of town hall events to keep the medical school community in the know.

“We are investing in your growth and development, in improving our clinical and research operations, and strengthening our culture. We will strive to have CU be the best place to work,” Sampson said.

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John H. Sampson, MD, PhD, MBA