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From the Dean

With the fast-approaching start of the new academic (and fiscal) year (AY and FY) on July 1, 2022, we are finalizing our budget plans for what will be the second year of the biennial budget. As you undoubtedly know, the North Dakota legislature meets every other year (in the years with odd numbers) and authorizes […]

I have some sad news to share for those of you who have been associated with the SMHS for some time. Earlier this week an esteemed former faculty member, Chester Fritz Distinguished Professor Dr. Roger Melvold, passed away at age 76. Roger served as professor and chair of microbiology and immunology at the SMHS from […]

Commencement 2022 is here at the UND SMHS! Tomorrow, 69 medical students officially will join the medical profession as they are awarded their MD degrees. Following a celebration brunch where outstanding students and faculty are recognized, we will reassemble in the Chester Fritz Auditorium for the afternoon Commencement. You can watch the ceremony, which starts at […]

Given the current apparent transition of COVID-19 in our region from a pandemic to an endemic situation (meaning that while COVD-19 has not disappeared, it no longer is associated with widespread, rapid, and potentially debilitating community spread), it would appear to be an appropriate time to further modify the School’s pandemic mitigation policy. To this […]

Yesterday marked the 42nd annual Frank Low Research Day at the School, and this year our premier research event was again virtual. Presentations by faculty members, postdoctoral fellows, residents, and graduate, medical, and health sciences students were prerecorded and then aired during the meeting, with subsequent live video discussion with members of the audience. Named […]

Susan and I recently “attended” (virtually) the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology (called ACC22) that was held in Washington, D.C., from April 2-4. It was a hybrid event, with a moderate number of in-person attendees and a fair number online (like Susan and me). I spent a total of 18 hours participating […]

As one of UND’s vice presidents, I had the pleasure to be part of the interview team that visited with the four outstanding final candidates who are under consideration for the deanship at the UND School of Law to follow Dean Mike McGinnis, who is stepping down in June. I enjoyed chatting with all of […]

As I mentioned in last week’s column, last Friday was Match Day for our graduating medical students. The vast majority of them matched in a residency that they will start after graduation, and in which they will learn their chosen specialty over the next three to five years. Most matched with their first choice or […]

Today is Match Day! At noon today (EDT), some 42,000 medical students across the U.S. and indeed the world – and especially our own UND SMHS senior medical students – will learn where they will be doing their residency training following graduation from medical school. Residency training is required for state licensure, and lasts from […]

As I mentioned in last week’s column, we met with Governor Burgum and his executive leadership team yesterday as part of a strategic review process that is utilized by the Governor and the executive branch to plan for North Dakota’s future. First, President Armacost, accompanied by the university’s vice presidents, presented on behalf of UND […]

This past Wednesday I had the privilege of delivering the annual “State of the School” address at the Faculty Assembly. It was (again) a virtual event and we had great turnout, with over 100 individuals participating. I outlined my assessment of where we are as a school, and, importantly, where we hope to go in […]

Most institutions of higher learning share three core values in their missions – education, discovery (that is, research, scholarship, and creative activities), and service to the community. As I’ve indicated previously, what is somewhat unique about the UND SMHS is that our purpose as a school is defined in North Dakota Century Code, the codified […]

Earlier this week we had a mock visit to help prepare us for the accreditation visit for our medical student program that will occur in April. Like that forthcoming visit, this practice session was done virtually. We contracted with a group of former medical school deans who help schools prepare for their accreditation visits by […]

Early this past Tuesday morning, I observed something that struck me as typical North Dakota while I drove down our local street. We and our neighbors had put out our recycling bins at the end of our driveways the night before so that the collection truck could use its mechanical arm to tip the recycling […]

This has been an exciting week of recognition for a number of high-performing students and faculty at the School. I’ve often said that it’s really the people that make schools and programs great, beyond “just” great facilities and support services like information technology, dining services, human resources, and maintenance services. Well, we have outstanding faculty, […]