Thanksgiving is around the corner, a day for gratitude and togetherness. I am especially grateful for our DOM community. Every day, you bring empathy, expertise, and energy to your work. The positive impact you have on our patients' lives and the community is immeasurable. You bring comfort to those in need. Take a moment to reflect on the families that can gather around the table because of your dedication to their health and wellbeing.

I hope you find moments of joy, warmth, and appreciation. Whether you gather with family, share a meal with friends, uphold cherished traditions, or forge new ones, here's to a holiday filled with love and thankfulness. I would love to see some photos of your celebrations! Please send them to the Levy Letter, to share with our friends and colleagues.

Thank you for all that you do.

Be well,
Ruth O'Regan, MD

*The Levy Letter is taking a Thanksgiving break and will return on December 6.

Awards: Steve Georas, MD, from Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine, received the Outstanding T32 Program Director Award at the GEPA Awards Ceremony.

Awards: Kari Steinmetz, DOM assistant director of Clinical Research, and her team won the UR CTSI Translational Science Shark Tank Competition for their proposal of an "Open Research Round Table Committee."

Publication: Fellow Robin Wilson, MD, Nicholas Bartell, MD, and Danielle Marino, MD, from Gastroenterology & Hepatology, are co-authors of "Board Review Vignette-Hereditary Cancer Syndromes," published in The American Journal of Gastroenterology.

Publication: Fahad Saeed, MBBS, from Nephrology, Robert Horowitz, MD, and Ronald Epstein, MD, from Palliative Care, are co-authors of "Feasibility and Acceptability of a Palliative Care Intervention Among Older or Adults with Advanced CKD and their Caregivers," published in Kidney 360.

Publication: Brenda Tesini, MD, from Infectious Diseases, is a co-author of "COVID-19–Associated Hospitalizations and Maternal Vaccination Among Infants Aged <6 Months — COVID-NET, 12 States, October 2022–April 2024," published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report by the CDC.

"Muscle Making and Muscle Breaking" – Dean's Lecture, December 9

Don't miss your chance to learn from Rochester native Eric Olson, PhD, a leader in genetic research and molecular biology. Olson is the Annie and Willie Nelson (yes, that Willie) Professor in Stem Cell Research at UT Southwestern. His groundbreaking work in CRISPR technology is revolutionizing gene-editing treatments for cardiac and skeletal muscle diseases, including Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

This Dean's Lecture, "Muscle Making and Muscle Breaking: From Developmental Mechanisms to New Therapies for Muscle and Heart Disease," offers insights into cutting-edge science and its broad implications for the future of medicine. With introductions from URMC CEO David Linehan, MD, and our own DOM colleague, Eric Small, PhD, from the Aab Cardiovascular Research Institute.

Monday, December 9, 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Class of '62 Auditorium, followed by a reception in the Flaum Atrium.

Attend Community-Based Participatory Research Day, December 3

This event celebrates and fosters partnerships between URMC researchers and community members that produce impactful research. Join UR CTSI on Tuesday, December 3 in Helen Wood Hall for networking opportunities, presentations, and workshops that will equip and inspire you to begin or continue your journey into community-based participatory research. The event will feature breakout sessions and talks facilitated by experts in the field. Learn more about the event and register here.