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| 06/27/25 |
| Letter from the Chair |
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This month, I’d like to use this letter to thank this community for pulling together and making sacrifices for the greater good of the Medical Center and our patients.
This is a very difficult time to work in medicine. Our Medical Center—and healthcare facilities around the country—are facing significant financial challenges brought on by external stressors beyond our control.
Maintaining our crucial clinical, academic, and research missions will require shared sacrifice among all Medical Center faculty and staff. For example, annual wage and salary increases have been limited to 2% this year for all who work at the Medical Center, and all departments and units across all three missions have been asked to reduce budgets.
As the largest clinical and academic department at the Medical Center, it is crucial that we do our part. We have asked all our faculty to increase their clinical time, which will improve patient access and boost revenue, and we’re exploring other potential levers to improve our budget.
As a physician-scientist, I recognize the collective toll these changes are taking on us all, both as individuals and professionals. Developing and testing new treatments and training the next generation of health care providers are essential to advancing medicine and providing the best care possible for our patients.
We will continue to be staunch advocates for our academic missions. Sharing the burden across our department and the Medical Center is our path forward to ensuring we are positioned to continue to pursue those missions.
Thank you all for understanding in these trying times, and for participating in the solution.
Be well,
Ruth O'Regan, MD
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| Farewelcome to Medical Trainees |
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| June is a bittersweet time of year for medical residents and fellows, marking the end of one chapter and the beginning of another. Join us in congratulating our resident and fellow graduates and welcoming a slate of fresh faces! |
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| UR Resilience Research Center (UR³C) Awarded $2M |
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| Led by Kathi Heffner, PhD, of Geriatrics/Aging, and Jennie Noll, PhD, of Psychology, UR³C was among four transdisciplinary research centers to receive University funding. UR³C aims to identify the sociocultural factors that perpetuate stress-related health issues. |
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| Nephrology, Endocrinology Fellows Jump the Shark (Tank) |
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| Nephrology and Endocrinology fellows competed in a Shark Tank at the culmination of a year-long program to ensure optimal health for all. Congrats to Endocrinology fellows Katherine Hazen, MD, and Fadila Noor, MBBS, whose glucose monitoring project won the contest. |
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In the News: Nancy Bennett, MD, professor emeritus of Medicine, spoke to the New York Times about “Why Vaccine Experts Are Worried About Changes at the CDC.”
In the News: Wyatte Hall, PhD, who co-leads the Wilmot Future Deaf Scientists Program alongside DOM Chair Ruth O’Regan, MD, was named to the inaugural Forbes Accessibility 100 list for his research and advocacy for early sign language access for deaf children, which has impacted national and global policy.
In the News: Michael Keefer, MD, of Infectious Diseases, spoke about the impact of federal funding cuts to HIV/AIDS research on WXXI Connections on June 13.
Honor: Ajay Dhakal, MD, of Hematology/Oncology, was awarded the $50,000 Sylvia Cappelino Breast Cancer Research Faculty Grant from the Breast Cancer Coalition to study tumor characteristics that put patients with early-diagnosed triple negative breast cancer at risk for brain recurrence.
Publication: Jonathan Friedberg, MD, MMSc, and Carla Casulo, MD, of Hematology/Oncology, coauthored “Nivolumab-AVD Versus Brentuximab Vedotin–AVD in Older Patients With Advanced-Stage Classic Hodgkin Lymphoma Enrolled on S1826” in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Publication: Jennifer Anolik, MD, PhD, chief of Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology, coauthored “Blood Immunophenotyping Identifies Distinct Kidney Histopathology and Outcomes in Patients with Lupus Nephritis” in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
Publication: George Porter, MD, PhD, of the Aab Cardiovascular Research Institute, was the corresponding author of “A Case of Complete Functional Myocardial Regeneration in a Human Neonate” in JACC Case Reports.
Publication: Adnin Zaman, MD, of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism, was the corresponding author of “Contraceptive Selection for the Endocrine Patient: What an Endocrinologist Should Know” in Endocrine Reviews.
Publication: Christopher Ritchlin, MD, MPH, of Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology, authored “Psoriatic Arthritis: Diagnosis, Pathogenesis, and Emerging Therapies” in Trends in Molecular Medicine.
Publication: Palina Sudnik, MD, Edward Walsh, MD, Angela Branche, MD, and Ann Falsey, MD, of Infectious Diseases, authored “Comprehensive Analysis of Cardiovascular Events and Risk Factors in Patients Hospitalized with RSV” in Clinical Infectious Diseases.
Publication: Syed Shahzad Mustafa, MD, of Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology, coauthored “Compassionomics: Translating Evidence-Informed Patient-Centered Care To The Allergy Immunology Clinic” in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice.
Publication: Thomas Caprio, MD, of Geriatrics/Aging, was coeditor of a special supplement issue of JDR Clinical & Translational Research, titled "Advancing Interprofessional Primary Care through Research, Education, and Community: A Call to Action.” Caprio also coauthored the Letter from the Guest Editor.
Publication: James White, MD, PhD, of Pulmonary and Critical Care, coauthored “Plain Language Summary: Oral Treprostinil (Orenitram) for the Treatment of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH)” in Future Cardiology.
Publication: Omar Aljitawi, MBBS, of Hematology/Oncology, coauthored “Impact of Hyperbaric Oxygen on Post-UCB Transplant Blood Transfusion and Growth Factor Support” in Transfusion and Apheresis Science.
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| Celebrating the Life of Robert Betts, MD |
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| A celebration of life will be held on Sunday, July 13, to honor Robert Betts, MD, professor emeritus of Infectious Diseases, who passed away last fall at the age of 88. Betts spent most of his long career at URMC, providing compassionate care for patients and studying respiratory virus vaccines and antimicrobial agents. Please RSVP to attend. |
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Spotlight on Hope: Research for Survivors
Join this hybrid event on Tuesday, July 1, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. to learn about current/recent research to improve the lives of survivors from cancer researchers AnnaLynn Williams, PhD, and Lindsey Mattick, PhD, MPH, of Cancer Control, and Alissa Huston, MD, of Hematology/Oncology.
Articulating the Social Responsibilities of Translational Sciences
Join UR CTSI on Thursday, July 10, at noon for a virtual Translational Science Grand Rounds on the unique responsibility of translational science to contribute to social benefit, including improved health outcomes and decreased health disparities.
Apply for Community-Based Participatory Research Training
This free course introduces a collaborative approach to research that involves community members or recipients of interventions during all phases of the research process and recognizes the unique strengths of each member of the research team. Apply by Wednesday, August 13.
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| It’s good to stretch your legs and see new sights from time to time. In May, DOM Chair Ruth O’Regan checked an item off her bucket list when she and three outdoorsy pals from medical school hiked a portion of the famous Camino de Santiago pilgrimage. While Ruth was only able to cover five days' worth of ground, one of her friends hiked the entire route from Porto, Portugal, to Santiago de Compostela, Spain. |
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The Levy Letter is always looking to learn about good things happening here!
Email us with your ideas. |
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