Dear Colleagues-Friends,

One of the things I enjoy most about my role is learning about the outstanding contributions of our faculty, students and alumni. I think that you, too, might like to know:

• Our alumnus Jack Ende, M.D., of the Class of 1973 will conclude his yearlong tenure as president of the American College of Physicians in April. He talked with us about what it’s been like to lead the nation’s largest medical specialty organization.

 Ken Ellenbogen, M.D., has been honored by the American College of Cardiology for his contributions to its flagship journal. Our chair of cardiology is internationally known for his commitment to advancing the field through research and teaching.

 Glenn D. Hoke Jr., PhD’86 (BIOC), who was honored with the medical school’s Outstanding Basic Health Sciences Alumnus Award in 2000, returned to campus in February to speak with biomedical doctoral students and postdoctoral scientists about his career in industry. “Remember, you are trained to solve problems,” he told them.

I was also pleased to see two terrific feature stories in Vol. 13 of Impact, the quarterly publication distributed by VCU’s Development and Alumni Relations Office:

 Hands-on Health, a 5-page feature on VCU Health’s Community Internship program giving influential community leaders a behind-the-scenes look at VCU Medical Center.

 Leading Light, a 4-page feature on how the Haag Professorship enables the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology’s Hamid Akbarali, Ph.D., to balance student mentorship and critical research.

Warm regards,

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