I can't think of a more exciting time than now to be at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. Health care is in a revolution in everything from new discoveries and treatments to how we train future care providers and how we link quality care with better health outcomes. One of the opportunities we have at the University of Louisville is shaping how we harness the energy associated with that revolution to best meet the health care needs of the public.

Recently we entered into a partnership with KentuckyOne Health that promises to help us transform the delivery of health care throughout the state and region. Additionally, it will help us in our efforts to address the shortage of health care providers we already are experiencing and that is predicted to get worse. In addition, the faculty practice plan is nearing its full integration of what had been a number of separate practices, enabling us to move forward on that front in a unified manner.

We have undertaken a thoughtful self-study the past two years in preparation for our upcoming accreditation site visit, and that process has allowed us to reflect on how far we've come in moving our educational program forward and to identify future opportunities and challenges.

The University has launched a campus wide 21st Century University initiative to reassess where we are relative to our 2020 goals and to position us to better serve our students and the community for decades to come.

All of the above events have created the perfect time for the School of Medicine to engage in a strategic planning process that will help guide us in clarifying our vision for where we want to be in 2020. A significant number of faculty, staff and students have agreed to serve on committees exploring four specific areas – Research, Education, Clinical Care and Community Engagement. Each committee has been charged with examining where we are, where we want to be and what is required to get there. From that process, we will develop our framework for the future of the UofL School of Medicine.

Our challenge is large, but our ambition is bold. We look forward to the journey.

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