In this newsletter: salary benchmarking, Early Career Scholars program, and more.
Friends and Colleagues,                                                 
At last month’s State of the Department talk, I presented some information about the salary benchmarking process we have engaged in since 2012 as a means of ensuring salary equity throughout our department. I want to provide some new information about this process and highlight the progress we’ve made in recent weeks.

Our salary benchmarking process uses national AAMC salary data, broken out by specialty and rank. We use these data to establish specific salary benchmarks based on years-in-rank, then identify faculty who are above or below these benchmarks. Using this approach, we’ve made substantial progress in bringing faculty up to the benchmark, and reducing salary disparities between male and female faculty – these are the data I presented at our State of the Department talk. In the most recent salary assessment (taking effect in January 2017), we have made further progress by reducing the number of faculty (male and female) who remain below our year-in-rank salary benchmarks by ~50% compared to the previous salary adjustment (July 2016). This is a major change in a very short time, and I’m extremely appreciative of our division heads who strongly support these efforts. In addition, UCH has enabled us to adjust the clinical FTE component of assistant and associate professors in the non-procedural divisions (allergy, endocrinology, hematology, ID, and rheumatology) to the renal benchmarks (highest benchmarks of the non-procedural divisions).

This is an ongoing, iterative process that I believe is essential for us to establish gender equity within our department, retain talented faculty, and recruit competitively (locally and nationally). Please feel free at any time to share your thoughts or concerns about this process or other salary and compensation topics.  Best wishes for the holidays, and good health for the New Year. 

David A. Schwartz, MD
Robert W. Schrier Chair of Medicine
Winter 2016-17
at a glance...
Spotlight: Patient Care
“The question is how to deal with the side effects from the cancer treatment?,” says Lavanya Kondapalli, MD, (Division of Cardiology) Colorado's only fellowship-trained cardio-oncologist. “We don’t want an existing cardiovascular problem, cardiotoxicity or [potential injury from] radiation to prevent patients from getting life-saving cancer treatment.”
.
Spotlight: Research
Lung repair research by Melanie Königshoff, MD, PhD (Division of Pulmonary Sciences & Critical Care Medicine) stands to benefit patients with pulmonary fibrosis and COPD. Königshoff will also work to consolidate CU's significant research portfolio in lung damage and fibrosis into a new Fibrosis and Regeneration Program. will build a new Fibrosis and Regeneration Program at CU with a focus on interdisciplinary and translational research.
Spotlight: Community
CU Anschutz will receive support from Grand Challenges Explorations (funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) for a project led by Kathryn Colborn, PhD (Division of Health Care Policy and Research). With her collaborators, Colborn will focus on innovations and tools to improve how people monitor, predict and respond to malaria outbreaks in areas of high malaria transmission.
Funding Opportunities
DOM Outstanding Early Career Scholar Program - January 1, 2017
DOM early investment in creative and talented faculty to help accelerate their careers.

DOM Sabbatical Support Program - March 1, 2017 / September 1, 2017
Provides additional sabbatical support on a competitive basis to DOM faculty approved thru the SOM sabbatical program.

DOM Research Bridge Program - July 1, 2017 / December 1, 2017
DOM program providing support to PI's during re-application for federal funding.

DOM Health Services Research Development Grant - October 1, 2017
Research and training support for fellows or instructor-level junior faculty members in the DOM who are pursuing a career in health services research.

DOM Team Science Program - October 1, 2017
Funding for projects promoting interdisciplinary work within the DOM, with the anticipated outcome a programmatic or multi-PI grant.

Program supporting medical education research, innovative program development in education, salary support and/or career development of DOM clinician-educators.

Other funding resources:
CU Office of Research Development & Education
GrantAdvisor.com Health-Related Grant Deadlines

DOM Resources: Outstanding Early Career Scholar Program
The Department of Medicine launched the Outstanding Early Career Scholars Program in 2012 to invest in talented researchers early in their careers, helping accelerate their career development. The program was designed to enable these promising individuals to devote 75% of their effort to research or other scholarly activities. Each recipient receives $75,000 annually for up to five years (including funds from the Department of Medicine and the recipient’s division) to support their research or other forms of career development and expansion.
  • Applicants must have a primary appointment in the DOM, and must be working at CU Anschutz/UCH, VAMC, Denver Health, National Jewish Health, Presbyterian St. Luke’s, or CU’s Colorado Springs SOM branch.
  • Applicants must have held the rank of Assistant Professor for no more than five years at the time of application, and must hold an MD, DO, PhD, or DVM-equivalent degree.
Full information and RFA available online; application deadline is January 1, 2017.

Faculty Highlights
BIPM - Matt Rioth was selected to the EHR Oncology Advisory Group for the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.

Cardiology - William Hiatt is lead author on a very large international clinical trial (the EUCLID study comparing different anti-platelet agents for the treatment of peripheral vascular disease) recently published as the lead article in the NEJM. Lori Walker received a CDPHE grant, "The Cardiovascular Effects of Marijuana in At-Risk Patients."

Endocrinology - Daniel Bessesen has been named interim director of the Anschutz Health and Wellness Center. Jane Reusch will become President-elect of the American Diabetes Association in January 2017. Robert Eckel has been appointed to the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition (3-year term).

Gastroenterology - Blair Fennimore and Daniel Kao received pilot grants from CU’s GI & Liver Innate Immune Program (GALIPP).

Geriatrics - Wendy Kohrt has been named as the inaugural chair of the national steering committee for an NIH initiative aimed at improving understanding of molecular changes during physical activity; CU Anschutz will be one of seven clinical centers nationwide to participate this effort.

GIM - Mary Anderson was awarded the Colorado ACP Early Career Physician of the year award.

HCPR - Kathryn Colborn will pursue an innovative global health and development research project titled “Development of an automated early warning system for malaria transmission using machine learning” with funding from Grand Challenges Explorations, an initiative funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Hematology - Eric Pietras received a pilot grant from CU’s GI & Liver Innate Immune Program (GALIPP).

ID - Kristine Erlandson received a pilot grant from CU’s GI & Liver Innate Immune Program (GALIPP).

Medical Oncology - Fred Hirsch, CEO of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC), helped initiate Lung Cancer Awareness Month (LCAM) at the beginning of November with a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Ross Camidge received the Lung Cancer Foundation's “A Breath Away from the Cure” Award, acknowledging individuals for excellence in oncology, coordinated treatment, care and compassion for those with lung cancer. 

Featured Publications

Teisha Rowland, PhD; Matthew Taylor, MD, PhD; Luisa Mestroni, MD et al. Obscurin Variants in Patients With Left Ventricular Noncompaction. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2016 Nov 15;68(20):2237-2238.

William Hiatt, MD et al. Ticagrelor Compared With Clopidogrel in Patients with Prior Lower Extremity Revascularization for Peripheral Artery Disease. Circulation. 2016 Nov 13.

Joseph Simonetti, MD et al. The Road Ahead for Personalized Firearms. JAMA Intern Med. 2016 Nov 21.

Ashim Bagchi, MD; Joanna Poczobutt, PhD; Raphael Nemenoff, PhD; Mary Weiser-Evans, PhD et al. Differentiated Smooth Muscle Cells Generate a Subpopulation of Resident Vascular Progenitor Cells in the Adventitia Regulated by KLF4. Circ Res. 2016 Nov 9.

View all November 2016 publications submitted by DOM faculty.

Featured publications are selected by journal impact factor, from among the recent publications submitted by DOM faculty members. To submit your own recent publication, email Kelly Redard with the link or PMID. Selected publications are also featured outside the DOM administration suite (AO1, 8th floor). 
Featured Event:
The Field of Radiation Oncology: Like a Rolling Stone – but with a Direction Home! (Medicine Grand Rounds)

December 14, 2016; 12-1pm; UCH.

P resented by David Raben, MD, Professor of Radiation Oncology, CU School of Medicine. No RSVP required. This event will be streamed to viewing locations at Denver Health, National Jewish Health and the VA, and can also be viewed live from any computer at http://140.226.244.5.

Coffee with the Chair: contact Jeanne Horvath for an invitation to this month's small-group discussion with DOM Chair David Schwartz.

Did You Know?

The Department of Medicine State of the Department video recording and slides are now available online: 
Contact Us

Chair:

David A. Schwartz, MD

Contact:

Nancy Miller, Executive Assistant
p h: 303-724-1783

Department of Medicine
CU Anschutz Medical Campus

Academic Office 1, 8th Floor
12361 E. 17th Ave.
Campus Box B178
Aurora, CO 80045


ph: (303) 724-1785
fax: (303) 724-1799

medschool.ucdenver.edu/dom