Dean's Message
Stories bring charts and lists to life
Happy new year! In December, you probably received a letter
from me in which I discussed the $300 million Campaign for the
Future of Academic Medicine: Tomorrow's Doctors, Tomorrow's Cures.
Specifically, the letter listed the campaign's goals and the volunteers
and donors who are helping us reach them.
As
I stated in that letter, our school clearly has established itself
as one of the nation's top-tier institutions both for education
and research. The challenge for us today is not only to maintain
our hard-earned status but to surpass it. We must enhance the
medical school's tradition of excellence and leadership. The school
must be a place where new ideas constantly germinate, where academic
challenges are met with creative solutions and bold purpose, and
where the best and brightest students learn from dedicated and
distinguished faculty at the cutting edge of research and clinical
care. We can meet these challenges in many ways-by endowing professorships
and scholarships, by building research and clinical investigation
centers, by expanding learning resources, and by seeking continuous
improvement in the curriculum.
In
this issue of the Medical Bulletin, you'll read several
stories about the people behind the campaign and the many educational
and research programs that benefit from campaign donations.
Dr. Ted
Castele, the campaign's chairman and an alumnus of the Class of
1957, explains why funding is needed for education and research.
Dr. Mike
Weiss, the new chairman of the biochemistry department, explains
why endowed professorships are important and how improvements
to work spaces can increase collaboration within a department
as well as between various departments, more quickly advancing
medical research.
A
story about the Mt. Sinai Health Care Foundation provides a glimpse
into one of the many sources of funding that assist the School
of Medicine, as well as the many ways in which funding is used.
And the
story of first-year student Jenna Liu, as well as information
about the Class of 2003 and its Dean's Scholars and Medical Scientist
Training Program students, exemplifies the caliber of student
a strong medical education program can attract.
Future
letters and publications will keep you apprised of the campaign
and our progress toward its goals. I hope you will partner with
other friends and alumni in fulfilling our vision for the future.
Your opportunity to make a difference in the future of academic
medicine is most significant. Your decision to invest in our school
represents your belief in our potential to improve the health
of our community and nation.
Sincerely,
Nathan A. Berger, M.D.
Vice President for Medical Affairs
and Dean, School of Medicine