Pulse: A Message from Interim Dean Laura Schweitzer

The opportunity to serve as interim dean of the School of Medicine at this point in the school's history is a pure joy.

I was recruited as an assistant professor from Duke University and arrived in Louisville just 15 years ago. In that time, I have seen the medical school and the university grow from one with little notoriety to one that  truly has a national reputation for excellence.

Eight years ago I was named the first faculty dean of the School of Medicine, and I have served as student dean as well.

By all objective measures, we currently have the best student class ever, including medical students, graduate students and residents. I also see a considerable difference in the qualifications and preparation of our junior faculty when they walk in the door and continued growth in the productivity and accomplishments of our faculty.

Our staff remains incredibly loyal -- and if you have any doubt, just peruse the roster of the 15- and 25-year staff award ceremonies, at which the School of Medicine is always by far the school most represented.

If you did not attend Dr. Joel Kaplan's December 2003 State of the School Address, read "Building Boom," an article about his legacy, in this issue of Medicine magazine.

I have been fortunate to inherit a team of school leaders unsurpassed in the United States. The longevity, dedication and stability of the dean's office staff, including the vice, associate and assistant deans, is remarkable, as is the talent pool represented by our departmental chairs and institute and center directors.

I have several goals for the approximately year and a half that I will serve as interim dean. The Liaison Committee on Medical Education (our accreditation body) will be visiting in March 2005, and we are currently gathering the data and writing the report for that process.

My top goal is to do more than secure full accreditation for another seven years. I want to use this visit as an opportunity to highlight the incredible strides we have made in the education we offer our students, the clinical breadth and depth of our programs and the research excellence that we have achieved since the committee last visited campus.

Not only is this important to us externally, but it also offers a unique opportunity for us to look at ourselves critically with the intent of self-improvement. The end result will be a comprehensive snapshot of the medical school and a list of well-thought-out strengths and concerns paired with action items to remedy those issues.

In the area of research, the medical school will continue to lead the university in its Challenge for Excellence. Many of the articles in this issue focus on research progress in areas such as ophthalmology, pediatrics, cancer and post-surgical care.

In an era of tightening budgets, research resources will become increasingly scarce, and we need to shift the focus of our research programs from opportunistic to strategic. One way to grow research is to reach out to partners across the campus and beyond.

Translational research, or the concept of taking research from "bench to bedside," has become the mantra at the National Institutes of Health, and we need to be prepared by joining forces with our hospital partners that have been so generous to us in the past.

Finally, my overall goal is to open lines of effective communication. It was with regret that I relinquished the student deanship four years ago. As interim dean, I have been able to maintain my connection with the students by hosting several special events including dinner at my home for the freshmen and bi-weekly breakfasts with small groups of students.

The faculty have begun to engage in meaningful discussions of professionalism and faculty values. I have initiated quarterly staff events and I am in the process of reassembling the School of Medicine Alumni Association. These efforts have been accomplished as a labor of love so that I may pay back an institution that has afforded me major opportunities in my own career.

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