Pulse: A Message from Interim Dean Laura Schweitzer

The School of Medicine is on the move, and it has been my pleasure to be at the helm during this exciting time.

The Liaison Committee on Medical Education (or LCME, our accreditation body) was here in March and cited a number of institutional strengths that are truly points of pride for the school.

We all know that being at the heart of the Louisville Medical Center with our partner hospitals is good for medical education. The LCME agreed, citing the cooperative spirit between institutions and the wealth of clinical material that support the medical education experience.

I am proud of our administrative team, which the LCME noted is effectively advancing all core missions of the school, including the implementation of important curriculum changes. The committee was particularly complimentary of the dean's staff for creating and communicating a vision for the medical education program. The Office of Medical Education was singled out for its efforts to analyze the outcomes of medical education in order to improve them, and the Office of Student Affairs was recognized as a key strength of the school, based on student feedback.

I am full of admiration for our students, who the LCME noted are empowered to participate in the school's governance process and have responded with a high level of involvement and satisfaction. They are enthusiastic about the school and their educations.

The patient simulation center and standardized patient program were cited as a "sophisticated learning technology" that has been fully integrated into the student experience.

Our faculty -- both clinical and research -- are another point of pride. The LCME noted that the magnitude of the increase in research funding in the school has been "remarkable," and it labeled as "exemplary" the faculty appointment, promotion, tenure and post-tenure review processes, all of which recognize and reward our faculty for excellence in research, teaching and clinical service.

All in all, the report from the LCME was outstanding, and we look forward to receiving the final results of our re-accreditation soon.

At the same time, we're not willing to rest on our accomplishments! This spring, the UofL Board of Trustees approved Larry Cook, M.D., as executive vice president for health affairs on a permanent basis. Those of us who have had the pleasure of working with Dr. Cook appreciate his ability to bring people together and his enthusiasm for the health sciences, which will keep the university on the leading edge of science, patient care and outreach.

I had the pleasure of appointing Kelly McMasters, M.D., as chair of surgery and Christine Cook, M.D., as chair of obstetrics, gynecology and women's health. Both have proven their leadership through a track record of outstanding teaching, scholarship and service.

In other developments, we have increased the number of African American faculty in the School of Medicine by 40 percent, from 15 to 21, in the past year. I also have created a fourth endowed chair to increase faculty diversity at the highest ranks by matching money from the state's Bucks for Brains program with a major gift to the university.

We are making progress in our search for new chairs in anesthesiology and for the newly formed Department of Urology.

We're building on our educational successes, rewarding outstanding teachers through the Master Educator Awards, providing more resources for residents -- who are often in a teaching role -- and expanding interprofessional elective choices and primary care clerkships across family medicine, pediatrics and medicine.

The school continues to make progress in research, with Roberto Bolli, M.D., and his team securing the largest P01 grant from the National Institutes of Health in the history of UofL. This grant, which totals almost $11.7 million over five years, will build on the Institute of Molecular Cardiology's internationally recognized research into ways the heart can protect itself from tissue damage at the molecular and cellular level.

Successes like this mean it is not surprising when our research dollars approach $300 per square foot of lab space. We look forward to more facilities, as $39 million in state funds and an additional $10.25 million in federal money -- secured with the help of U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell -- have been designated toward the construction of a third new research building. A facilities master plan is underway to help the Health Sciences Center accommodate continued growth of its educational, research and clinical programs.

The momentum we have achieved at the School of Medicine is truly remarkable, and I look forward to sharing new discoveries, educational outcomes and further achievements that are just over the horizon.

Laura Schweitzer, Ph.D.
Interim Dean, School of Medicine