Posts Tagged

dean

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 […]

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 contact with another person in the […]

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, […]

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 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 the Academic Success Program (ASP). Dr. […]

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 & […]

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 the central campus in Grand Forks. […]

On a sad note, the long-time building service technician for the School, Art Rice, recently passed away after spending 38 years supporting faculty, staff, and students at UND. Art acquired a severe hearing problem at a young age, but that never stopped him. We will miss him, and I’m sure that you’ll join me in […]

We had a special event yesterday when the Interim Health Care Committee of the North Dakota Legislature met for the day in the new building on the Northeast (Grand Forks) campus. The event also was streamed live to the other campuses in the state. It was an all-day meeting, with a special treat at noon […]