As the newly appointed Executive Vice President for Health Affairs and Dean of the School of Medicine, Jeffrey Bumpous, MD addressed his commitment to advancing the school’s mission in teaching, patient care, research, and community engagement. Plans were presented by Dean Bumpous in two addresses, one to ULSOM faculty, staff, students and trainees, and one to ULSOM alumni.

In addition to spending a year as interim dean before his permanent appointment, Bumpous is an alumnus of the School of Medicine, allowing him over thirty years of institutional knowledge. 

During his time as interim dean, Bumpous was instrumental in numerous advancements for the School of Medicine, including the renewal of a $25 million grant to support bioinformatics and environmental health research, securing a $16 million Urban and Rural Undergraduate Medical Education Grant to address Kentucky’s primary care physician shortage, being awarded a $11.5 million Clinical and Translational Research grant to enhance community-engaged research, and launching the Aging Innovation Venture Studio with support from the Trager family.

Bumpous also collaborated during his interim appointment to secure $280 million from the Kentucky legislature to establish a new collaboration hub and simulation center, marking the first new building on the UofL Health Sciences Center campus in 15 years.

Bumpous continues to work toward his 2024 initiatives as he transitions into his more permanent role, including collaborating with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) to encourage educational opportunities within the advanced health sciences realm, partnering with Puerto Rican medical school Ponce University to offer experiential rotations for students affected by hurricanes, working to increase nursing scholarships and training capacity through the HB 200 program, implementing an AI task force, and developing service line boards in cancer, neurosciences, behavioral health, and cardiovascular care.

Looking ahead, Bumpous has developed a strategic plan that focuses on four pillars: learning, research and innovation, community engagement, and workforce development.

“Each of these pillars bring forth their own unique set of plans for the future of the School of Medicine. As a diverse institution dedicated to changing the future of healthcare, we will work each day to make the School of Medicine the best place to Learn, Discover, Connect, and Work,” Bumpous remarked.

As Bumpous works to encourage learning, he aims to align admissions strategy with the mission of the School of Medicine, enhance learning tracks and academic support services, and provide leadership development opportunities for all leaders. Plans are also in place to expand the use of AI in medical education and practice and to establish the Health Administration Leadership in Medicine (HALM) Fellowship.

When it comes to research and innovation, initiatives are in place to strengthen institutional infrastructure for research and creative activities and increase grant funding for both cancer research and the support of junior investigators. Plans to expand the Clinical Trials Unit and research in neurosciences, cardiometabolic, and environmental health will help drive innovation at ULSOM.

Moving forward, improving engagement with the community will be a primary focus, with emphasis on raising the visibility of the School of Medicine’s impact in and around Louisville, advancing health equity, expanding partnerships with health systems, and enhancing IT infrastructure to support the tracking of engagement within the community.

Bumpous indicated that workforce development will be a priority as the School of Medicine works on improving onboarding and supervisor training, prioritizing faculty and staff recruitment, retention, and engagement, and expanding the SMART Staff program and comprehensive wellness initiatives.

With deep gratitude, Bumpous reaffirmed his commitment to his role as Dean and emphasized the teamwork between faculty, staff, students, and alumni in achieving the aforementioned goals.

For more information, view Dr. Bumpous’ addresses here:

Address to ULSOM

Address to Alumni