Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/530940
dean's message i l l i n o i s m e d i c i n e | 1 dean's message reat innovations in medical education, research and care delivery are happening at the university of illinois college of medicine. the long-standing partnerships with the other health science colleges and with the colleges of engineering, Business and architecture, design & the arts have strengthened our bioengineering programs and our interdisciplinary innovation center. additionally, they have allowed for unprecedented opportunities to foster public- private-governmental partnerships. We recognize that innovation, entrepreneurship and commercialization are critical for achieving our ambitious educational, research and patient care goals. We are leveraging our strong ties with the chicago corporate and cultural community and with our distinguished alumni to create an exciting culture of innovation, which will enrich the college of medicine's reputation as a magnet for thought leaders. every day, students, faculty and staff in medical schools worldwide generate brilliant ideas. in many places, the least risky ideas are prioritized; more innovative ideas risk being rejected, abandoned, ignored or deferred—with a great latent cost to society. our approach, however, is to be systematic in soliciting and evaluating novel ideas and not to be shy in implementing bold innovations, especially those that are not "sure bets." We strive to provide a nurturing, innovation-friendly and technology-based environment to stimulate and facilitate judicious risk-taking as we develop successful programs and products. medicine is changing rapidly. We are investing in strategies to enhance the overall learning experience for students and to move research from our laboratories into our communities. in this issue, we highlight some of our successful educational projects, including the college-wide residency Preparedness initiative, the recently completed learning center project in chicago, and our md/Phd programs dedicated to the training of the nation's next generation of physician scientists. the college of medicine is recognized nationally and internationally as a leader in improving community health outcomes. in this issue you will learn more about the college's initiatives to translate novel ideas into clinical practices within our community and neighborhoods, and about the students and faculty members of our center for Global Health who travel internationally to identify and assist patients in remote areas worldwide. the college's outstanding faculty members are addressing complex medical problems. Faculty members featured in this issue like dr. ramaswamy in rockford, who is recognized internationally for the development of a novel vaccine for elephantiasis, and drs. charbel and amin-Hanjani in chicago, who use pioneering techniques to characterize the risk for recurrent strokes, are some of the many examples of those who have a positive impact on the lives of patients. in closing, i would like to thank all our alumni, friends, supporters and readers for all your help and input. We welcome your suggestions and feedback, and we would like to invite you to join us for the annual Homecoming celebration on sept. 17-19 in chicago. as we welcome reunion classes to campus, we hope you will take this opportunity to reconnect with your classmates and take part in the ongoing innovations within the college. G dimitri t. azar, md, mBa Executive Dean, University of Illinois College of Medicine B.A. Field Endowed Chair of Ophthalmologic Research Distinguished Professor of Ophthalmology, Bioengineering and Pharmacology P h o t o : C h r i s s t r o n g