Dear Colleagues-Friends,

Lately we’ve been very impressed learning about the activities and contributions of our faculty, students and alumni. You may be interested to know:

• Alex Krist, M.D., a professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Population Health, has been elected as a member of the National Academy of Medicine. Dr. Krist joins five other VCU School of Medicine colleagues who, as NAM members, serve to improve our country’s health.

• Holding the Z. Reno Vlahcevic Research Professorship in Gastroenterology Research has given Arun Sanyal, M.D., the freedom to get early-stage, unfunded projects off the ground with the goal of finding better ways to treat liver disease. Thirty-one years after arriving on the MCV Campus as a GI fellow, he’s done just that, and this month he’ll accept the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases’ Distinguished Achievement Award, recognized as the premier award in the field of liver disease.

• Living in Yellowstone National Park as a child first sparked Kathryn Gouthro’s interest in becoming a doctor. This year, a clinical rotation took the fourth-year medical student back to that familiar territory, giving her a chance to hone her physical exam skills and get a taste of what it’s like to be a rural family physician. “You never know what is going to walk through the door,” says Gouthro, who’s president of the Class of 2019.

• The School of Medicine’s second Medical Student-Alumni Supper Club was hosted by local alumni who started as classmates and grew into longtime friends and neighbors. Co-host Kelsey Salley, M’03, says: “We remember that in medical school it was hard to picture what life would look like in the future … while we certainly don’t have all the answers, I hope it was helpful to the students to see how we juggle family and careers.”

• The National Rural Health Association has spotlighted the contributions of M2 Paulius Mui. In a video, he talks about his collaboration with state officials to reach out to rural patients for their perspectives on what happens when their primary care physician leaves town. You can watch the video or read more in our story about Paulius Mui’s research.

I hope you will enjoy reading their stories.

With every good wish,

Peter F. Buckley, M.D.
Dean, VCU School of Medicine
Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs, VCU Health System