Illinois Medicine

dean's message E P h o t o : R o b e r ta D u p u i s - D e v l i n xciting things are happening in the College of Medicine. New department heads have joined the college to further strengthen their departments in medical education and translational science. Biomedical discoveries are being translated to help cure recalcitrant diseases. Medical education is thriving. And ongoing feedback and support of our alumni and friends are helping us in furthering our mission. As I write this message, Jeffrey Loeb, MD, PhD, will be joining us as head of the department of neurology and rehabilitation medicine in late April. Dr. Loeb is a clinician-scientist who is an exemplary educator and a pioneer in the field of growth factor signaling in motor neurons and a developer of novel therapeutics. The College of Medicine has strategically recruited five other department heads in the past two years, all of whom are translational scientists. (They are featured on pages 22-28.) These leaders add to our current pool of outstanding educators and clinician-scientists. They form a nidus for the education of our medical students and residents as well as the development and recruitment of future clinician-scientists, thus fostering the university's growth in translational science. They include Dr. John Hickner, department head of family medicine, a national figure in primary care and resident education. His research is focused on the improvement of quality and safety of health care delivery. Dr. Rohit Varma, department head of ophthalmology, is a highly accomplished clinician‐scientist and translational investigator who has dedicated his career to studying the development of eye diseases in minority populations. Dr. Mary Stephenson, department head of obstetrics and gynecology, is an internationally renowned expert in recurrent pregnancy loss, reproductive immunology and genetics. Dr. Thomas Royston, department head of bioengineering, is a pioneer in translating the science of acoustics to aid in diagnosing human disease. Dr. Patricia Finn, department head of medicine, is a leader in immune-mediated pulmonary diseases, including transplantation, lung injury and asthma. The College of Medicine has an outstanding environment that enables translational science, thanks to the strong ties between the college and the UIC Center for Clinical and Translational Science. The CCTS has been instrumental in providing support services and a translational research home to clinical investigators across the institution. The center also awards pilot and just-in-time grants that provide seed funds to promising research projects and supports young investigators to start their careers as clinician-scientists. To nurture excellence in academic medicine and provide a conduit to establish outstanding medical educators, we have institutionalized a college-wide faculty mentoring program. Thanks to the dedication of many talented mentors, this program will enable our faculty members to excel as educators, academic clinicians and scientists. As someone who has long advocated faculty mentoring as a top priority, I welcome this opportunity and look forward to witnessing great positive returns on this important initiative. We continue to value the input of our alumni and other friends of the college in shaping these and other initiatives. This past fall at our annual reunion celebration, the College of Medicine recognized Richard Nyako, MS '71, PhD '72, MD '76, Res '80, as the recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus Award. Dr. Nyako serves as an inspiration to generations of physicians for his resiliency as a professional and for his selfless dedication to patients worldwide. In the coming months, I look forward to interacting with you, our valued alumni and friends, as you continue to promote our tradition of excellence in your daily interactions with patients, students and fellow biomedical scientists. Our alumni provide insight and inspiration as we look to build the future of medical education, translational science and health care delivery. Thank you for your continued support as the college invests in innovative educational, research and clinical programs to emerge as the premier medical education institution of the 21st century. Dimitri T. Azar, MD, MBA Dean, University of Illinois College of Medicine B.A. Field Endowed Chair of Ophthalmologic Research Distinguished Professor of Ophthalmology, Bioengineering and Pharmacology illinois medicine | 1

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