Articles by

joshuawynne

Thanks in part to geography, aggressive physical distancing and other public health measures embraced by many North Dakotans, an impressive ramp-up of the state’s testing and contact tracing capacity, and adroit leadership from the Governor and his executive branch (including the North Dakota Department of Health), North Dakota so far has been able to weather […]

To begin, I have some sad news to report. L. Gary Hart, Ph.D., director of the UND Center for Rural Health (CRH) at the School and professor in the Department of Population Health, passed away on Monday, April 13, after a recent illness. He joined the CRH in 2010, coming to UND to serve as […]

The COVID-19 saga continues to play out in North Dakota and around the world. The good news is that the trend thus far in North Dakota has been better than in many other places, although we have had six deaths so far (as of the latest report yesterday from the North Dakota Department of Health). […]

It again has been a busy week, and again dominated by COVID-19 issues. But as I outlined in my comments last week, the activities of the School continue, albeit in very modified ways. Thanks to the internet, and the creativity and flexibility of our faculty and staff, the majority of our seniors from all programs […]

Like many of you, I’ve been going nonstop and trying to manage the evolving coronavirus (COVID-19) situation and its impact. What follows, then, are the latest updates pertaining to the UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences, and a longer version of an op-ed I wrote that was published by the state’s major newspapers this […]

This truly has been a momentous and challenging time. Since the spread of the coronavirus will continue and its impact increase over time, it is important for UND and the School of Medicine & Health Sciences to be proactive. So as you may well have heard already, we just made the decision to move all […]

A big focus this week has been UND’s ongoing preparation for the COVID-19 (coronavirus) issue. It is a fast-moving situation with many implications. But clearly, it is important to prepare earnestly. An example of such anticipatory activity was the decision two days ago by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) to cancel this year’s […]

This year we are celebrating the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Center for Rural Health (CRH) at the UND SMHS. Since its beginning in 1980 with one employee—Dr. Kevin Fickenscher, its founding director—the CRH has grown to become a major force for good in rural health care delivery in North Dakota in particular, […]

Although the next session of the North Dakota Legislative Assembly (the biannual meeting of the Legislature) is fewer than 11 months away (with a scheduled start date of Jan. 5, 2021), UND and the UND SMHS are already in the preparatory stages of budget planning for the next biennium. As you probably know, North Dakota […]

You may have read an email earlier this week and/or the Tuesday news release announcing that Dr. Joy Dorscher, the School’s associate dean of Student Affairs & Admissions, has decided to retire as of February 19, 2020. Dr. Dorscher has served the School with energy and commitment since May 2012. During her tenure, she devoted […]

This past Monday was the fourth annual National Women Physicians Day. My wife Susan and many of her colleagues attended a conference that evening to honor women in medicine. The day celebrates the birth of Dr. Elisabeth Blackwell, the first female medical doctor in the United States, who was born on Feb. 3, 1849. Today, […]

There were two big events this week, both of which have relevance for our School. The first was that North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum chose to give the annual State of the State address on the UND campus. This was only the second time that a North Dakota governor has given this address on a […]

This past Wednesday, I was pleased to attend an event at the UND Alumni Association & Foundation’s Gorecki Alumni Center in celebration of the life and contributions of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The event—called the Dream in Action—was cosponsored by UND and the City of Grand Forks. Coordinated by UND’s Office of Diversity & […]

As we welcome 2020 and look forward to the new year, we should pause for a moment to send our best wishes to Hunter Pinke, a UND student athlete on the football team who suffered a severe spinal injury while skiing in Colorado, and to remember two members of the extended UND family whom we […]

With UND 2019 Winter Commencement activities concluding this afternoon, the first semester of the 2020 academic year is winding down. Yesterday we held commencement for students receiving professional and graduate degrees, and later this afternoon we will have two ceremonies to send off those receiving undergraduate degrees, including students from the School of Medicine & […]