Pulse: A Message from Dean Joel A. Kaplan

This issue of Medicine highlights further successes at the Louisville Medical Center brought about by the world-class clinicians, educators and researchers who have moved to the University of Louisville in the past few years. In doing so, they have joined the many talented faculty already working hard in the School of Medicine to help us accomplish President John Shumaker's Challenge for Excellence.

Kentucky's Research Challenge Trust Fund (or "Bucks for Brains" program), along with its associated donor matches, has committed more than $100 million to the growth of our faculty through endowed chairs and professorships.

This commitment of state government and our loyal supporters has become a model that others seek to emulate.

Now these prominent scholars and practitioners are drawing international attention to the university and medical center with their significant breakthroughs, enhancing the quality of education for our students and energizing the regional economy by attracting and developing biomedical and life science-related information technology companies to our rapidly growing downtown biopark.

That park currently consists of the MedCenter One headquarters building; MedCenter Two, a biomedical business incubator housing six companies; MedVenture Technology Corp., a firm specializing in providing scientific and financial expertise for medical startups; and the new Metacyte Business Park, which includes an information technology incubator.

Recently President Shumaker, UofL Provost Carol Garrison and the university's deans held a ceremony to pay tribute to the researchers and scholars responsible for making a great deal of this happen in the past two years, during which time the number of endowed positions at UofL has grown from 59 to 84.

In addition, the School of Medicine is proud to be the home of 40 of the 53 currently filled endowed positions at UofL, with more than a dozen others to be filled in the next few years. You will meet some of those scholars -- Drs. David Gozal, Mark Rothstein, Dan Edelstone, Ron Elin and Hank Kaplan -- in the following pages.

President Shumaker also has recognized many School of Medicine faculty for creative research that has led to patents and licenses from the commercialization of their intellectual property.

None of this would be possible without the wonderful, generous support of our alumni and friends of the School of Medicine. On behalf of all the faculty, I would like to thank you again for your contributions, which continue to make the Health Sciences Center an exciting and thriving place at which to teach the next generation of health-care practitioners.

President Shumaker was the man primarily responsible for the vision and energy that allowed all at UofL to "Dare to be Great!" He led the university to succeed beyond our wildest imaginations in an unbelievably short time. This was particularly true in the School of Medicine, where I was fortunate to have worked with him for four wonderful years.

President Shumaker was instrumental in helping us build the research program, stabilizing University Hospital through the development of the University Medical Center corporate entity, obtaining funding for new teaching technologies like the Human Patient Simulator Laboratory, stimulating the growth of UofL Health Care and the developing cancer hospital, and promoting the local economy by working with the city to help the Louisville Medical Center Development Corp. build the biopark.

His decision to leave the University of Louisville to become president of the University of Tennessee was a great disappointment to all of us, but we certainly wish him well as a Volunteer.

Dr. Garrison will serve as the acting president while a national search is conducted. In the meantime, she and I will continue to lead the Health Sciences Center until the new president is chosen.

We anticipate no loss of our tremendous momentum as we continue to fulfill the Challenge for Excellence goals by bringing additional prominent scholars and clinicians to the Louisville Medical Center.

As President Shumaker said in his recent status report on the university, "We're only beginning to show what can happen with a vision, a strategic plan and great friends who believe in the university."

I would say that the exact same thing is true of the School of Medicine as we continue to lead the rapid ascent of the entire university. John-thanks again. It has been a great honor and pleasure strengthening this institution with you. God speed.

Joel A. Kaplan, M.D.
Executive Vice President for Health Affairs
and Dean, School of Medicine