So much has happened since our last newsletter!
At the May department meeting we celebrated our Advocacy Award recipients (Dr. Snow, Dr. Gallett, and Dr. Hongsermeier-Graves). In early June, we recognized our department research winners for this year (Drs. Mikuls, Florescu, Liu, Twohig, DiSanti, and medical student Nozima Aripova). Drs. Casey and Wyatt launched a new NIH-funded P50 grant (Alcohol Center of Research-Nebraska, ACORN). Last week, we celebrated our graduating residents (in pre-COVID style) with multiple award winners including UNMC House Officer of the Year (large program) Dr. Rees Adomako and the UNMC Wigton GME Program Director of the Year Dr. Tammy Wichman. You will hear much more about the banquet in the next edition of the newsletter. I hope you will look through this newsletter to find out more about these accomplishments and so much more!
There are two new leadership announcements for the department that you will be hearing more about soon. Dr. Dan Anderson has decided to step down as Division Chief of Cardiovascular Medicine after five years to be able to focus on his passions of clinical care and research here at UNMC. I am very grateful to Dan for the leadership and energy that he has brought to the division. Under his watch, the number of faculty and fellows has grown, they have developed a new partnership with Hospital Medicine, and nearly doubled the number of clinical trials, to mention only a few of his division’s accomplishments. Dr. Shane Tsai will assume the role as Division Chief for the division effective July 1. Dr. Tsai is an excellent choice as the next Division Chief with his experience as Chief of the electrophysiology section of the division and Vice Chair of Specialty Clinical Care for the department. I look forward to the ways Dr. Tsai will continue the growth of CV Medicine in all its missions.
Starting in July, Dr. Jasmine Marcelin will begin a new role for the department as the Vice Chair of the department’s Office of Equity and Inclusion Excellence. Dr. Marcelin created the DIVERSE taskforce for our residency program to help us focus our attention on justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in our training programs. She will now expand her attention more broadly across the department. Stay tuned in an upcoming newsletter and department meeting setting to learn more about this important initiative.
With June, we say goodbye to our senior residents and wish them the very best in their next career steps. We are grateful for their many contributions to the department! We will soon welcome a new class of interns and look forward to getting to know them and sharing in their educational journeys. Already we have 22 undergraduates who are with us for the summer doing research projects. We want to help them have a wonderful experience and begin the recruitment process to medical school and, of course, eventually internal medicine residency! June is also PRIDE month, and you will find activities in support of LGBTQ+ persons occurring on campus. Juneteenth occurs this month as well and represent a great opportunity to learn more about its importance in the history of slavery in our country.
Despite all the activities highlighted in the newsletter, I hope this summer finds you with some time for rest and relaxation. All of us taking care of ourselves is essential to us being able to care for our patients, educate our trainees, and having the energy for research and scholarship! Many you find time for those things that bring you joy.