Welcome from the Chair of the Department of Medicine
The Centennial Celebration
This academic year (2006-2007) is the 100th anniversary of the Department of Medicine at the University of Virginia. We will commemorate our first 100 years of excellence in Medicine with a Centennial Celebration on May 4th and 5th, 2007. These events will highlight our academic successes in education, research, clinical programs, faculty career development, and administration and finance. May 4th will be the Department's Research Day, followed by an evening reception. May 5th will feature opportunities to interact with our faculty during various symposia throughout the day, followed by a closing banquet at Keswick Hall that evening. All of our events will be excellent opportunities for informal networking with our current trainees and faculty, as well as returning alumni.
The 2007 Centennial Celebration will also become the first annual Department of Medicine Alumni Weekend, kicking off a yearly opportunity for graduates of our training program to return to UVa and revisit our faculty and program.
If you are interested in attending the Centennial Celebration, please contact Tammy Eberly, CME coordinator, via email (te7q@virginia.edu) or phone (434-924-1657).
Maintaining Excellence while Building for the Future
Although we are very excited about the upcoming Centennial Celebration, the primary focus of the Department remains on maintaining our standards of excellence in all areas, despite the continuing struggle against decreased external funding. As in all Departments of Medicine, this decrease in funding is a constant challenge to our major missions: education, research, clinical care, faculty development, and financial and administrative stewardship. To respond to this challenge the leadership team has created an environment of transparency, which is outlined in our Development Plan. Together with outstanding faculty and innovative ideas, this plan will allow us to not only meet our current goals, but also to build an even stronger and more self-reliant program.
In conjunction with our Development Plan, the next 12 months will also see us focusing on laying the groundwork for several new initiatives, events, and programs that will enhance and spotlight our Department's excellence throughout its five core missions
Defining, Measuring, and Rewarding Excellence across Our Core Missions
Education
Vice Chair Gerald Donowitz and Associate Chair Michael Rein are focused on maintaining and enhancing our undergraduate and graduate medical education, and addressing resident and fellow concerns. They have been working closely with the Vice and Associate Chairs for Faculty Development to build diverse tracks to help us attract the best and the brightest of each recruiting class. Together with our Chief Residents, they plan to launch a new medical journal entitled the "The University of Virginia Journal of Medicine." This journal will focus on clinical excellence and education. Departmental awards for excellence in education will be presented annually.
Clinical Affairs
Vice Chair Robert Gibson and Associate Chair Alan Dalkin are working to increase institutional awareness of quality monitoring and improvements. They are breaking down specialty-specific barriers, with the goal of creating multidisciplinary clinics in which specialists across the Department will be able to interact and deliver the highest quality of care. In addition, they are focusing on the creation and expansion of extramural practices intended to serve the growing populations of Charlottesville and its surrounding communities.
Research
Vice Chair Joel Linden and Associate Chair Sue Moenter are developing new ways to strengthen our research programs and increase our ability to provide bridge funding, so that faculty research remains uninterrupted despite the decrease in external funding. Together, they are working to foster innovative thematic research, with the goal of increasing interactions and collaborations both within the Department and with other Clinical and Basic Science Departments. This should increase our presence in opportunities related to translational research and help to differentiate ourselves from other academic medical centers. Ultimately, thematic research groups will serve as a foundation to be more competitive for funding. A major focus for thematic research is regenerative medicine, and in keeping with this we have already established a new Division of Regenerative Medicine and have undertaken a search for a Division Chief.
Drs. Linden and Moenter are also working to highlight our trainees' research efforts at all levels (Medical Students, Residents, Fellows, Graduate Students, and Post-Doctoral Research Fellows). To achieve this goal, we have created a new annual Scholars' Research Day. This event has been christened the "Carey, Marshall, Thorner Scholars' Research Day" to honor three esteemed clinician-investigators who have provided major administrative service to both the Department and the School of Medicine.
For the Centennial Celebration, the Department of Medicine's Research Day has been reformatted to highlight the clinical and basic science research excellence within the Department. The new format will include presentations from each Division as well as presentations highlighting specific areas of thematic research within the Department. The new format will enhance faculty awareness of research conducted within the Department, encourage cross-divisional collaborations, and catalyze the formation of faculty groups interested in specific areas of thematic research. This annual event will be open to our current faculty and current and past students, residents, and fellows.
Faculty Career Development
Vice Chair Coleen McNamara and Associate Chair Mitchell Rosner are developing strategies to help ensure the continued academic success of our faculty. Beginning with residents, fellows, and junior faculty, support will be provided through appropriate mentoring and training, including facilitating grant writing and disseminating funding opportunities. The two major initiatives include: mentorship and development of training pathways to foster the development of academic physician-investigators.
Mentorship is essential for faculty members to make the transition to midlevel and senior faculty positions. We are working to develop a rigorous mentorship program that ensures that faculty have appropriate guidance in their career pathways. Each junior level faculty member will have two mentors and will meet regularly to review career objectives and progress. Appropriate guidance through the promotion and tenure process will be provided. Outstanding mentorship will also be recognized with a yearly award.
In order to foster the development of physician-investigators, we have developed a clinician investigator track in the medicine residency training program. This program allows two residents per year to pursue master's level training in clinical investigation and will provide a firm foundation for a career in clinical research. For those residents and fellows interested in more intensive research training, an accelerated PhD program will also be offered. Further initiatives to provide training for residents, fellows, and faculty are also being developed.
Administration
Vice Chair and Chief Operating Officer Elizabeth Wildman is leading the endeavor to finance our efforts to support these objectives while also working to mold the Department into its most financially efficient form.
The creation of the first Department of Medicine Annual Report is underway, with its release date to coincide with the Centennial Celebration. The Annual Report will be an excellent showcase for the accomplishments of the Department and each of the Divisions over the previous 12 months.
We hope you enjoy browsing our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at ck8h@virginia.edu.