This is not a political statement. But it is an affirmation of hope. Despite the seemingly never-ending onslaught of dismal economic and related news, the national elections on November 4th injected a sense of hopefulness, perhaps especially given the harsh realities we face as a nation, a community — and individually. The prospect of moving forward with a national agenda that respects and values science, innovation and technology; that seeks input from thought-leaders across the many domains impacting our global communities; and that gives voice to new citizens and leaders who were silenced for all too many years speaks to a deep spirit of justice, dormant for too long, that has been reborn and that everyone can be proud to be part of regardless of their "politics"— and that everyone can celebrate. Of course, these moments of pride and ebullience will surely — and soon - give rise to the shattering realities that are affecting all of us — but they also make clear that there is much we can overcome when we stay focused and aligned. In recent Newsletters I have addressed how these issues are impacting our university and medical center (see: http://deansnewsletter.stanford.edu/archive/11_03_08.html#1 and http://deansnewsletter.stanford.edu/archive/10_06_08.html#1). And while those issues remain as true today as when I wrote these articles — or even more so, it is hard not to be more hopeful in light of recent events.
Although of much lower significance, I have been quite taken aback by how many people have mentioned to me that they assumed that I might be leaving for Washington. While none of us can predict the future, I do want to say that I have made it very clear to anyone who has asked that I am totally committed to the work we have begun together at Stanford and have every intention of continuing to do all I can to serve you and our community in the years ahead.
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In recent issues of the Dean's Newsletter I have highlighted the impact of the current economic downturn on the university and on academic medical centers (see: http://deansnewsletter.stanford.edu/archive/11_03_08.html#1 and http://deansnewsletter.stanford.edu/archive/10_06_08.html#1). Among the issues most important to our future success is funding from the National Institutes of Health — which, as you well know, has been flat for five years and which now has 20% less purchasing power than it did in 2003. The future of the NIH will be an important issue for the new Administration, and we are all aware that President-Elect Obama forecast a doubling of the NIH budget over 10 years if he were elected president. Of course we also recognize that all such promises will be assessed in light of the major economic downturn. And we also believe that sustainable and predictable funding is most important — ideally keeping pace with inflation or above.
So it is highly important to question how the NIH might fare in the new Administration and under the new economic realities. We had considerable discussion about this on November 12th at the Board of Directors meeting of the Foundation for the NIH (of which I am a member); we underscored that the best argument for increasing the support for the NIH is its importance as part of a stimulus package. Indeed, this argument was made to a hearing before the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health on November 13th. One of the important arguments is that NIH funding supports approximately 300,000 jobs in the USA (approximately seven per grant) and stimulates a number of other industries — especially the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Thus, a very cogent case can be made for increasing funding of the NIH as part of an economic stimulus package — something that the Obama team will address as a way of stimulating economic recovery. Indeed, this argument applies to science and technology writ large, as discussed in a Special Report in the November 13th issue of Nature entitled "Science in the Meltdown" (see: http://www.nature.com/news/2008/081112/full/456155a.html). Since we are all involved in advocacy efforts to sustain and improve funding for science, medicine and technology, these arguments are particularly germane and important to share with your colleagues and professional organizations.
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The dedication and commitment of our outstanding staff colleagues who form the backbone of Stanford Medicine are among our greatest assets. While our students and faculty receive most of the acclaim for the work that they carry out, none of their efforts would be possible without the remarkable staff who support their missions in education, research and patient care — and who provide the intellect and human resources that support and enrich our broad and deep infrastructures in finance and administration. What is equally remarkable is the loyalty of our outstanding staff and how much they enjoy and appreciate being part of the Stanford community. It is that satisfaction that allows many to continue to work with us for decades — and that creates a community of true excellence. Each year we take a few moments to thank our School of Medicine colleagues who have been members of our staff for five or more years. On Thursday, November 6th we celebrated their contributions at our Staff Recognition Banquet. This event is an opportunity to say thank you to each of these valued employees. It is also a wonderful time for me to meet personally those who play such an important role in the life of the school and university.
In addition to thanking the 343 individuals who have worked for 5 or more years (which is 19.7% of our overall staff), I was also pleased to honor the three individuals who were named by their peers and colleagues the 2008 recipients of the SPIRIT Award (http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2008/november12/med-spirit-111208.html). These three outstanding employees are:
- Libuse Jerabek, Lab Manager, Stanford Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine (who was also acknowledged for her many years of service to Stanford)
- Kendra Baldwin, Leadership Search Coordinator, Office of Institutional Planning
- Gretchen Shawver, Clerkship Coordinator, Department of Pediatrics (who was joined at the banquet by her 5 month old baby)
Please join me in congratulating each of these truly outstanding employees
I am also very pleased to list below those individuals who have served for 20 or more years — which, as you will note, includes one individual who has been part of the Stanford Medicine community for four decades. Again, please join me in offering thanks and appreciation to each of these individuals.
40 Years of Service
Libuse Jerabek |
Institute for Stem Cell Biology & Regenerative Medicine |
35 Years of Service
Miguel Alvarez |
Department of Comparative Medicine |
Karen Carpenter |
Department of Genetics |
Ronald Garcia |
Department of Medicine |
Jerry Halpern |
Department of Health Research & Policy |
Houck Fae |
Department of Psychiatry |
Anne Klause |
Human Resources Group |
Norma Malimban |
Department of Biochemistry |
Sheryl Pask |
Department of Pathology (Blood Center) |
Susan Smith |
Human Resources Group |
30 Years of Service
Claudia Benike |
Department of Pathology |
Kristina Blouch |
Department of Medicine (Nephrology) |
Mary Buttner |
Lane Library |
Rebecca Green |
Department of Psychiatry |
Irene Renee Grys |
Department of Anesthesia |
Cheryl Joo |
Department of Neurology |
Debbie Leong-Childs |
Research Management Group |
Lisa Ma |
Department of Pathology |
Susan Mitchell |
Cancer Center (and until recently Microbiology & Immunology |
Lynda Raby |
Department of Medicine (Cardiovascular Medicine) |
25 Years of Service
Bonita Baker |
Department of Pediatrics (Endocrinology) |
Susan Gonzalez |
Department of Orthopaedics |
Carol Kersten |
Office of Medical Development |
Tim Knaak |
Department of Genetics |
Eileen Maisen |
Department of Pathology |
Dick Miller |
Lane Library |
Punaotala Opeta |
Department of Pathology (Blood Center) |
David Profitt |
Molecular and Cellular Physiology |
Belinda Rosales-Webb |
Department of Pediatrics (Critical Care) |
Robert Schneeveis |
Department of Neurobiology |
Cariel Taylor-Edwards |
Department of Medicine (Immunology & Rheumatology) |
Phuo Vo |
Department of Medicine (Gastroenterology & Hepatology) |
Birgit Walker |
Facilities Planning & Management |
20 Years of Service
Debra Ambrosini |
Department of Medicine (Immunology & Rheumatology) |
Nanette Beacham |
Department of Microbiology & Immunology |
Bruce Bingham |
Office of Medical Development |
Cori Bossenberry |
Human Resources Group |
Daychin Campbell |
Post Graduate Medical Education |
Angelina Das |
Department of Pathology (Blood Center) |
Stephen Dunatov |
Department of Pediatrics |
Heida Earnest |
Lane Library |
Leah Friedman |
Department of Psychiatry |
Nona Gamel |
Department of Psychiatry (Psychopharmacology) |
Humberto Garcia |
Department of Psychiatry (Sleep Center) |
Ometa Herman |
Department of Genetics |
Philip Huie |
Department of Ophthalmology |
Pamela Hyde |
Department of Psychiatry (Sleep Center) |
Shu-Chen Lyu |
Department of Pediatrics (Pulmonary Medicine) |
Peter Malloy |
Department of Medicine (Endocrinology) |
Venancio Mariano |
Department of Comparative Medicine |
Joachim Matlack |
Department of Pathology (Blood Center) |
Isabel Parada-Riquelme |
Department of Neurology |
Glenn Peacock |
Information Resources and Technology |
Laura Pierce |
Department of Radiology |
Lusijah Rott |
Department of Medicine (Gastroenterology & Hepatology) |
David Silberman |
Health & Safety |
Margaret Simons |
Department of Pediatrics (General Pediatrics) |
Carlos Sosa |
Department of Comparative Medicine |
Susan Swope |
Department of Pediatrics (Infectious Diseases) |
Kathleen Thompson |
Research Management Group |
Jenny Van-Blaricom |
Department of Anesthesia |
Ben Varasteh |
General Clinical Rsch Cntr |
Sylvia Villareal |
Department of Neurosurgery |
Nancy Winningham |
Office of Finance & Administration |
Vincent Yalon |
Department of Pathology (Blood Center) |
Ruth Yamawaki |
Department of Comparative Medicine |
Again, thanks to each of these individuals, for those who have achieved the 5, 10 and 15-year marks and for those who are still in the early phase of their Stanford journey.
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Provost's Survey on Faculty Quality of Life Survey
On Friday, November 7, you should have received an email message from Provost John Etchemendy requesting your participation in the second university-wide Stanford Faculty Quality of Life Survey. This follows the first Stanford Faculty Quality of Life Survey, which was conducted in 2003 by the Provost's Advisory Committee on the Status of Women Faculty and which provided important observations (see: http://facultydevelopment.stanford.edu/reports).
If you have already completed the November 7th survey, thank you very much. If you haven't done so as yet, I strongly encourage you to do so. Hopefully, the results will help us to both understand the experiences and perspectives of our faculty and make Stanford an even better place to pursue their academic careers. If you have problems finding the message from Provost Etchemendy or opening or completing the survey, please contact Jill Crowley at jcrowley@stanford.edu. Again, thank you very much.
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Gender and Satisfaction in Academic Medicine
In the January 28, 2008 issue of the Dean's Newsletter (see: http://deansnewsletter.stanford.edu/archive/01_28_08.html#2) I summarized some of the results of a pilot study in which Stanford participated regarding faculty job satisfaction. This project has been sponsored by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) in partnership with the Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE). Ten institutions participated in the survey, which was conducted in the summer of 2007. We have had some discussions about the results of the survey, and we recently revisited the topic at the November 7th Executive Committee in anticipation of a school-wide survey about how our faculty assess their career development at Stanford. These data will serve as a foundation for the 2009 Leadership Retreat, which will focus on this topic and on how we might enhance our efforts in this area.
Because the numbers of Stanford respondents in the 2007 COACHE survey were relatively small (296 of 775) definitive conclusions were not forthcoming. However, we did note a number of areas where Stanford Medical School faculty were more satisfied with their careers than faculty at the two peer institutions to which we were compared. We also noted some gender related trends suggesting that women were, overall, less satisfied than men with the support they felt for both enhancing their career development and maintaining a balance of work and family life.
These observations have been affirmed on a larger scale in data recently presented by the AAMC ("Differences in US Medical School Faculty Job Satisfaction by Gender" AAMC Analysis in Brief, Volume 8 (Number 7), November 2008) that assessed responses of 3208 faculty from ten medical schools on questions identical to those posed to Stanford faculty. While 65% of men and women were satisfied with being part of an academic medical faculty, significantly fewer women than men found their workplace to be supportive to their career development. Sadly, these data are also consistent with the discussions that Dr. Hannah Valantine, Senior Associate Dean for Diversity and Leadership, and I have had with junior women faculty during the past months, and they underscore the fact that we need to do even more to make our workplace as supportive as possible. Career development is one of our most important issues, and, as noted above, it will be the focus of our upcoming Leadership Retreat. It remains my hope (and expectation) that we can develop new and better ways of enhancing the career development of all of our faculty — and of women in particular. More on this to follow.
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Update from the Department of Radiation Oncology
Dr. Richard Hoppe, the Henry S. Kaplan-Harry Lebeson Professor and Chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology, gave an update about his department to the Executive Committee on Friday November 7th. He prepared the following summary of his remarks for the Newsletter:
"The Department of Radiation Oncology includes three Divisions: Radiation Therapy, Radiation Physics, and Radiation and Cancer Biology. The research and education programs of the three Divisions overlap extensively. In addition, the Radiation Therapy and Radiation Physics Divisions are heavily committed to patient care.
Patient care services are provided at SHC in the Stanford Cancer Center and Blake Wilbur Building. Patients from the Lucille Packard Children's Hospital and Palo Alto Veteran's Administration Hospital are treated at SHC. In addition, clinical services are provided at the Emanuel Hospital, in Turlock, California, as part of a joint venture between SHC and Emanuel, the "Stanford-Emanuel Radiation Oncology Center". An outreach radiation physics service provides those services to several community hospitals in northern California.
The Department provides comprehensive and expert radiation therapy services. The faculty includes national experts in the broad range of cancer diagnoses. The faculty work closely with other specialists in the Departments of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Dermatology, Medicine, Neurology, Neurosurgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ophthalmology, Orthopaedics, Otolaryngology-Head&Neck Surgery, Pathology, Pediatrics, Radiology, Surgery, and Urology to provide the highest level of interdisciplinary care available anywhere in the world. Key items of equipment include six multi-purpose linear accelerators with on-line portal imaging, two Cyberknife linear accelerators, a PET-CT simulator, a CT simulator, two conventional simulators, a high dose afterloading brachytherapy unit, and numerous accessories. High technology services available to patients include 3-D conformal radiation therapy, intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), 4-D radiation therapy with respiratory gating, image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT), radiosurgery, and both high-dose rate and low-dose rate brachytherapy. The number of patients treated annually has increased at a steady pace, increasing from ~1450 to ~2950 patients between FY 2000 and FY 2008. In 2003, the Radiation Therapy staff was awarded the Malinda S. Mitchell Quality Award from SHC for service excellence.
The Department supports a diverse portfolio of research programs. The major themes in the Radiation and Cancer Biology program include investigation of the role of hypoxia on tumor growth and response to therapy, the development of pharmacologic and biologic agents to combine with chemotherapy and radiation therapy to improve local control and reduce metastatic spread, and the identification of genetic determinants that influence tumor response to irradiation or chemotherapy. Major themes for the Radiation Physics program include the use of molecular imaging to assist in radiation therapy treatment planning and assessment of response to therapy, the development of criteria for defining "biologically conformal" radiation therapy, defining techniques of 4-D intensity modulated radiotherapy, development of small animal conformal radiation therapy, and refinement of techniques for image-guided radiotherapy. Research in the Radiation Therapy program includes clinical trials (both institutional and co-operative group), late effects studies, the development of novel techniques of irradiation, image-guided radiotherapy, stereotactic radiosurgery (both cranial and body), radiation immunosuppression, radioimmunotherapy, and identification of prognostic/predictive factors. The Department has maintained excellent funding for its research program, with total research dollars increasing from ~$4.7 million in FY 2001 to just over $9 million in the most recent academic year. More than $7.5 million of that is federal sponsored research.
The Department has educational programs at all levels. It supports 11 graduate and 29 post-doctoral students. It has one of a very few residency programs nationally in radiation physics, which can lead to certification by the American Board of Radiology. The four-year residency program in radiation oncology is among the most popular in the nation, and was recently awarded a full five years of accreditation by the ACGME. It receives 125-150 applications the three spots available in the program each year. Sixteen of the last 25 graduates of the program have entered into an academic career following their graduation.
Radiation oncology is a high technology field. The new horizon of research and treatment is related to proton therapy. Protons have intrinsic advantages over photons (x-rays) or electrons for cancer therapy, but the expense of proton therapy utilizing existing technology is extraordinary. The Department is exploring a relationship with SLAC to develop new concepts in proton therapy that may help it to maintain its reputation as a world-class department."
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Kick-Off Meeting for Green Teams
As announced in the August 25, 2008 Dean's Newsletter (http://deansnewsletter.stanford.edu/archive/08_25_08.html ), the School has a new initiative around sustainability, which is guided by our Sustainability Steering Committee. The Committee has planned a kickoff meeting for Green Teams, which will encourage a grass-roots effort to engage faculty, staff and students at all levels throughout the School to make sustainability a part of their everyday life and decision-making. The meeting is being held in the Clark Auditorium on Wednesday, December 3rd at 2 pm, and will include information, resources, and support for those who want to help the School of Medicine start changing our culture to one in which sustainability is deeply valued and acted upon daily. Every department should send at least one representative, and I encourage anyone interested in sustainability to go and make a commitment to start your own Green Team. Questions can go to Julia Tussing, Chair of the Sustainability Steering Committee, at tussing1@stanford.edu.
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- Amin M. Al-Ahmad has been reappointed to Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Stanford University Medical Center, effective 11/01/08. Profile: http://med.stanford.edu/profiles/Amin_Al-Ahmad/
- Raffi S. Avedian has been appointed to Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Stanford University Medical Center, effective 11/01/08.Profile: http://med.stanford.edu/profiles/Raffi_Avedian/
- Valerie L. Baker has been appointed to Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Stanford University Medical Center, effective 11/01/08.Profile: http://med.stanford.edu/profiles/Valerie_Baker/
- John Barry has been promoted to Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and, by courtesy, of Neurology and Neurological Sciences at the Stanford University Medical Center, effective 11/01/08. Profile: http://med.stanford.edu/profiles/John_Barry/
- Howard Chang has been promoted to Associate Professor of Dermatology, effective 11/01/08. Profile: http://med.stanford.edu/profiles/Howard_Chang/
- Jason L. Dragoo has been reappointed to Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Stanford University Medical Center, effective 11/01/08. Profile: http://med.stanford.edu/profiles/Jason_Dragoo/
- Michael Federle has been appointed to Professor of Radiology at the Stanford University Medical Center, effective 11/01/08. Profile: http://med.stanford.edu/profiles/Michael_Federle/
- David F. Fiorentino has been reappointed to Assistant Professor of Dermatology and, by courtesy, of Medicine, at the Stanford University Medical Center, effective 11/01/08. Profile: http://med.stanford.edu/profiles/David_Fiorentino/
- Tracy George has been reappointed to Assistant Professor of Pathology at the Stanford University Medical Center, effective 11/01/08. Profile: http://med.stanford.edu/profiles/Tracy_George/
- Sabine Girod has been promoted to Associate Professor of Surgery and, by courtesy, of Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery, at the Stanford University Medical Center, effective 11/01/08. Profile: http://med.stanford.edu/profiles/Sabine_Girod/
- Alice E. Guardino has been reappointed to Assistant Professor of Medicine (Oncology) at the Stanford University Medical Center, effective 11/01/08. Profile: http://med.stanford.edu/profiles/Alice_Guardino/
- Norman Lacayo has been reappointed to Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the Lucile Salter Packard Children's Hospital, effective 11/01/08. Profile: http://med.stanford.edu/profiles/Norman_Lacayo/
- Ginna LaPort has been promoted to Associate Professor of Medicine (Blood and Marrow Transplantation) at the Stanford University Medical Center, effective 11/01/08. Profile: http://med.stanford.edu/profiles/Ginna_Laport/
- John P.W.M. Lavelle has been appointed to Associate Professor of Urology at the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, effective 11/01/08.
- John T. Leppert has been appointed to Assistant Professor of Urology at the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, effective 11/01/08. Profile: http://med.stanford.edu/profiles/John_Leppert/
- Teri Longacre has been promoted to Professor of Pathology at the Stanford University Medical Center, effective 11/01/08. Profile: http://med.stanford.edu/profiles/Teri_Longacre/
- Tracey L. McLaughlin has been reappointed to Associate Professor of Medicine at the Stanford University Medical Center, effective 11/01/08. Profile: http://med.stanford.edu/profiles/Tracey_McLaughlin/
- Claudia M. Mueller, has been appointed to Assistant Professor of Surgery at the Stanford University Medical Center, effective 11/01/08. Profile: http://med.stanford.edu/profiles/Claudia_Mueller/
- Pilar Ruiz-Lozano has been appointed to Associate Professor (Research) of Pediatrics, effective 11/01/08.
- Marc R. Safran has been appointed to Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Stanford University Medical Center, effective 11/01/08. Profile: http://med.stanford.edu/profiles/Marc_Safran/
- Iris Schrijver has been promoted to Associate Professor of Pathology and, by courtesy, of Pediatrics, at the Stanford University Medical Center, effective 11/01/08. Profile: http://med.stanford.edu/profiles/Iris_Schrijver/
- Joseph B. Shrager has been appointed to Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Stanford University Medical Center, effective 11/01/08. Profile: http://med.stanford.edu/profiles/Joseph_Shrager/
- Eric R. Sokol has been reappointed to Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Stanford University Medical Center, effective 11/01/08. Profile: http://med.stanford.edu/profiles/Eric_Sokol/
- Robert West, has been reappointed to Assistant Professor of Pathology at the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System and at the Stanford University Medical Center, effective 11/01/08. Profile: http://med.stanford.edu/profiles/Robert_West/
- Jeffrey Yao has been reappointed to Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Stanford University Medical Center, effective 11/01/08. Profile: http://med.stanford.edu/profiles/Jeffrey_Yao/
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A
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"Download Link To Disk" or "Save This Link As" and
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Microsoft Word version: DeanNews11-17-08.doc
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