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 ofRead More

We are obviously in very different space than we were one short month ago. On Feb. 27, 2020, Susan and I were on a several-day break out in Big Sky, Mont. Today we are hunkered down in University House, practicing social distancing, and we’ve been without direct close personal contactRead More

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 byRead More

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 madeRead More

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 CollegesRead More

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 deliveryRead More

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. AsRead More

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.Read More

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 bornRead More

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 hasRead More

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 byRead More

As we welcome the new academic year and many of our students back to campus next week, I hope that you will join me in also welcoming Minnie Faith Kalyanasundaram, M.D., to campus as a new associate professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine and director of theRead More

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 theRead More

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 fromRead More

Susan and I visited the Northwest (Minot) campus yesterday for the last holiday party of the season, and it was a lot of fun. As I’ve mentioned before, the School hosts these get-togethers on all three of our regional campuses in Minot, Fargo, and Bismarck, along with one on theRead More