Dear Colleagues-Friends,

On Friday we’ll welcome back hundreds of alumni for Reunion Weekend 2018. We always look forward to this opportunity to “show off” our medical school to returning alumni who are so proud of all the activities of our students, trainees and faculty.

Those sorts of noteworthy contributions are exemplified in a few news items that have crossed my desk and which I believe may be of interest to you:

  • The Pauley Heart Center has launched a grants program that funds promising early-stage research. The winning proposals were chosen with the help of an external review committee that included alumni like the Class of 77’s Bill Miles, who is chief of electrophysiology at the University of Florida. “I was impressed with the quality of what I saw,” he says. “These were substantive, cutting-edge projects with application to everyday cardiology.” He calls serving on the committee an honor and says, “If I’m invited to serve as a reviewer, I’ll always say yes. I’d love to participate again.” Our story includes information on the four proposals that were funded in the inaugural round of awards.
  • Each year, the MCV Foundation hosts a celebration of the outstanding philanthropic support given to students across the campus. The annual event provides an opportunity for scholarship recipients to thank our donors for their generosity, and donors have the pleasure of hearing what a difference their gifts have made.
  • Jim Nemitz, PhD’80, an alumnus of the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, has been named president of the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine. He has served the institution for 31 years in roles that include overseeing the accreditation process, research and grants, community outreach and government relations at the local, state and national levels. He says, “This is a place that I’ve devoted a majority of my career, it’s a place that I love with all my heart.”

 

Also, as you’ve probably seen, the April issue of Richmond Magazine features the annual Top Docs listing. We’re gratified that so many of our faculty and alumni are represented in its pages. I wanted to draw your attention as well to the 3-page advertisement built into the inside front cover. To complement this issue’s focus, the MCV Foundation took the opportunity to showcase medical student scholarships. Through the medical school’s $25 million 1838 Scholarship Campaign, we are building an endowment that will increase the number and size of scholarships that we award to our students. This magazine ad shared the stories of donors along with students and alumni who have already benefited from scholarship funds, spotlighting:

  • The Harriet and Harry Grandis Scholarship, the medical school’s first full-tuition scholarship,
  • the Harry and Zackia Annual Scholarship that’s awarded to medical students who show a demonstrated commitment to community service and
  • the Stephen C. and Marie F. Cenedella Endowed Scholarship established by an alumnus of the Class of 1968.

I hope you’ll enjoy reading their stories.

Warm regards,

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