UVA School of Medicine

Medical Alumni Association and Medical School Foundation Executive Director Associate Dean for Medical Alumni Affairs Barry J. Collins Associate Director Linda Weldon Executive Assistant Harsha Solanki Associate Director for Marketing and Communications Liz C. Taylor Director for Constituent Relations Sarah Brown Rothschild Associate Director for Constituent Relations Hillary B. Cocke Constituent Relations Associate Andrea Wasiewski Constituent Relations Assistant Iris Hosey Luck Vitals Managing Editor Liz C. Taylor Contributors Josh Barney, Linda J. Kobert, Brian Murphy, UVA Health System Marketing Photography Jackson Smith, Liz C. Taylor, Coe Sweet, Sarah Rothschild, UVA Health System Marketing Cover Jackson Smith Volunteer Editor Leah Gibbs Design © Anne Hilton Vitals is produced twice annually, in the spring and fall, by the University of Virginia Medical Alumni Association and Medical School Foundation. Deadline for submissions for the Spring 2018 issue is March 1, 2018. The MAA/MSF reserves the right to edit all submissions for length and content. Please send submissions and other correspondence to: Managing Editor Vitals University of Virginia Medical Alumni Association and Medical School Foundation PO Box 800776 Charlottesville, VA 22908-0776 434-924-1734 medalum @ virginia.edu UVAMedAlum.org ©2017 University of Virginia Medical Alumni Association Medical School Foundation On the Cover José Oberholzer, MD, is a researcher and surgeon and the director of the Charles O. Strickler Transplant Center at the University of Virginia Health System. Photo by Jackson Smith fromthedean A s the field of medicine continues to evolve, it is our responsibility to ensure that students at the University of Virginia school of Medicine have a wide range of opportunities to explore and learn from as they forge their career path. in doing so, we are educating and training physicians and scientists who will be well-equipped to help people achieve healthy, productive lives and to advance knowledge in the medical sciences. these educational opportunities are plentiful at the University of Virginia. in addition to the traditional Doctor of Medicine degree, there are a number of dual degree programs supported by the school of Medicine, including the Medi- cal scientist training Program (MstP) program, culminating in a combined MD/PhD degree, which trains individuals who will be both outstanding physicians and scientists, and who will pioneer major advances in medical practice through research. Perhaps less familiar to some of you is the Biomedical sciences Graduate Program (BiMs), a vibrant interdisciplinary graduate program committed to training PhD candidates in becoming the next generation of scientific lead- ers. this goal is achieved through an immersive curriculum designed to provide students with fundamental scientific skills and exceptional research training. Until recently, BiMs students were awarded their diplomas by UVa's Graduate school of arts & sciences. However, as of July 1, 2017, we are pleased to officially welcome BiMs students to the school of Medicine, which has been the long-time home of their mentors, programs and labs. You will hear more about this collaboration as we move forward. Because of opportunities like these, we have a robust scientific operation at UVa that will lead to even greater success in caring for patients, including those needing life-saving organ trans- plants. Under the direction of José Oberholzer, MD, director of the Charles O. strickler Organ transplant Center, we are now poised to serve more patients than ever before, especially those here in Virginia. You can read about Dr. Ober- holzer's vision for the program on page 12. as alumni, you can be proud of the work happening here at the school of Medicine by students, researchers, physicians, faculty and administrators. these individuals work day and night to be the best, as evidenced by the University of Virginia Medical Center recently being named the No. 1 hospital in Virginia for the second consecutive year by U.S. News & World Report. lest you think it's all work and no play here, i hope you'll take a few moments to read about how some of our faculty unwind, beginning on page 18. as you'll no doubt recall, we are very fortunate in Charlottesville to have many recreational opportunities. in fact, it's one of the things alumni often tell me they miss most after leaving UVa. as always, thanks for your continued support and interest in the school of Medicine. David s. Wilkes, MD Dean, UVa school of Medicine James Carroll Flippin Professor of Medical science

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