January

Welcome back! I hope everyone had a wonderful and restful holiday break.

February

It’s been another busy few weeks at the college since we returned from the holiday break, and the next few months promise to be even busier.

March

It’s hard to believe we are halfway through another semester already, but here we are, already two months into 2009!

April

I hope everyone enjoyed their time off at Spring Break. Match Day was a great success and our fourth-year students did an outstanding job, placing into some top-notch residency programs. Commencement is just five weeks away, so the rest of the semester will fly by. I have a few items to note this month:

May

Amazingly, we are at the end of another school year. This weekend, we will add 75 new M.D’s and 1 M.D/Ph.D. to our ranks as the newest graduates of the college. Please congratulate them as they move to the next level of their training.

June

I hope everyone is enjoying this short summer break between classes. Congratulations to our most recent graduates, the Class of 2009! 75 new M.D.s and 1 M.D./PhD. graduated at the College of Medicine commencement ceremony last month.

July

Well, there is no doubt the summer is upon us! I hope everyone is able to enjoy a breather, even in the stifling heat.

August

Thank you to everyone who participated in another successful alumni reunion weekend and white coat ceremony Saturday, August 1. We welcomed 150 new M1s, the Class of 2013, with the symbol of our profession in the company of over 500 family members, faculty and staff.

September

As many of you now know, I have accepted a position with West Virginia University as the Chancellor for the WVU Health Science Center and will resign my position as Dean of the College of Medicine and Vice President for Clinical Affairs effective November 1, 2009.

October

Please join me in welcoming Dr. Ed Sherwood as the College of Medicine’s Interim Dean. Dr. Sherwood has served as the Associate Dean for Veterans Affairs of the College of Medicine since 2006 and has just retired from the Central Texas Veterans Health Care System in Temple as chief medical officer. Dr. Sherwood has already begun to travel to College Station, and the transition in roles is moving along smoothly.

November

As technical as the conversations that night could be, they reminded me that we are all in one way or another on our own journeys of discovery. Whether in academic hallways or the clinical setting or in the laboratory, we have accepted the charge to advance the College of Medicine, and we will do so collaboratively and purposefully. Outstanding teamwork is the “master key” required to open the doors to excellence in research, patient care, education and all of our endeavors.