Looking Back: A Recap of Changes at the Academic Health Center in 2011

In 2011, UC’s medical campus underwent big changes in leadership, overall structure and even in looks. Some of this transformation is still under way, and opportunities for growth and advancement will continue in 2012 and beyond.

Below are some selected highlights from 2011:

2 Deans Appointed

Thomas Boat, MD, was appointed dean of the UC College of Medicine and vice president for health affairs, effective July 1. He became the 50th dean in the medical college’s nearly 200-year history. Boat, who previously served as executive associate dean for the College of Medicine and as chief executive officer of UC Health University of Cincinnati Physicians, said his goals are to strengthen basic science programs within the college and support collaboration. In an October 2011 address, he challenged faculty to commit to transformational improvement with the goal of placing the college among the nation’s elite medical schools.

"All around us I see opportunity," Boat said. "I know that five years from now we are going to be a lot better, and 10 years from now we ought to go from that point to reach even greater heights.”

>>Read about Boat’s appointment.

>>Read about his address, "A Candid Assessment, An Upward Trajectory."

Greer Glazer, PhD, former dean and professor of nursing at the University of Massachusetts Boston, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, was appointed dean of the UC College of Nursing, effective Jan. 1, 2012. Glazer replaces Cheryl Hoying, PhD, who has served as interim dean since Jan. 1, 2011, following the retirement of Andrea Lindell, PhD.

"I can’t wait to join this vibrant community under the leadership of the visionary provost and president,” said Glazer. "I can’t think of a better time to lead such an outstanding college of nursing in curricular innovation, increased multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary research, community and global outreach, interprofessional education and academic service partnership."

>>Read about Glazer’s appointment.

Changes at UC Health and University of Cincinnati Physicians

Myles Pensak, MD, H.B. Broidy Professor and chair of the department of otolaryngology–head and neck surgery, was appointed chief executive officer of University of Cincinnati Physicians, the faculty practice group of the UC College of Medicine and the physician division of UC Health. Pensak also became senior vice president of UC Health and senior associate dean for clinical affairs at the College of Medicine. His appointments were effective Aug. 8.

"Dr. Pensak brings extraordinary skill as a physician executive to this position. He is the perfect person to lead a talented team and continue the substantial progress that UC Physicians has achieved during the last several years,” Boat said.

Pensak will give his address on upcoming goals for and successes of the organization on Jan. 30, 2012.

>>Read about Pensak's appointment. 

New Curriculum in Place at the College of Medicine

The class of 2015 faces the first year of a new curriculum at the College of Medicine. One of the most appreciable changes in the curriculum is the integration of hands-on clinical training in the first year including First Responder training. By week three, first-year students engaged in learning the basics of medical history taking and physical exam skills.

>>Read more about the college's new curriculum.

LCME Site Visits to the College of Medicine

The UC College of Medicine underwent a mock site visit in September 2011 and an actual site visit by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) in October 2011 as part of the accreditation process. Final results will be available later in 2012.

"It’s not your father’s LCME,” said James Boex, PhD, a professor of both medical education and health care administration who oversaw the accreditation process. "They are reviewing a number of considerations across the entire medical school enterprise that they want particular measures for.”

>>Read more about the LCME site visit and accreditation process.

Semester Conversion at the Academic Health Center

Effective August 2012, faculty, staff and students at the majority of UC’s 14 degree-granting colleges will have several months of semester conversion under their belts, with hopefully few hiccups. At the UC Academic Health Center, three colleges—nursing, pharmacy and allied health sciences—and a number of graduate programs within the College of Medicine will undergo the conversion. All continue to work hard to ensure that their policies and procedures are updated to align with UC’s new semester schematic, more details of which can be found at www.uc.edu/conversion. 

In 2011, faculty and administrators provided insight into what the conversion would mean to existing and potential students within the Academic Health Center and what to expect for these changes in programs:

>>College of Nursing: Adrianne Lane, EdD, executive director of the undergraduate program, discusses the process.

>>James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy: Bill Fant, PharmD, former associate dean of academic affairs and current interim dean of the pharmacy, discusses how the conversion process will affect the college.

>>College of Allied Health Sciences: Tina Whalen, head of the department of rehabilitation sciences and semester conversion liaison for the college who has been on the UC’s semester conversion committee for the past two years, discusses how these changes will affect the college and university.

 >>College of Medicine: Mary Jo Peterman, program director in the office of research and graduate education, discusses how the conversion process will affect certain graduate programs.

Research Funding

UC and its affiliates topped $418 million in research funding for fiscal year 2011 and the Academic Health Center accounted for more than $300 million of that total. The 2011 fiscal year was marked by strengthened partnerships from the industry, nonprofit and national sectors, according to Interim Vice President for Research William Ball, MD. He presented the annual research numbers to the UC community at the Board of Trustees meeting in November. Although a decrease in overall funding for UC and its affiliates as compared with 2010 ($443 million), the drop correlates with the maturation of one-time funding opportunities from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. In 2010, UC and its affiliates received $65.5 million in ARRA funding. In 2011, that number was $47.9 million. However in the 2011 fiscal year, UC was awarded $18.9 million from industry collaborators—a 24 percent increase from 2010 (more than $15 million). UC also experienced notable growth in technology transfer activities in 2011, with 106 invention disclosures and 70 patent applications. 

Moving into fiscal year 2012, Ball said UC will encourage growth in the research enterprise through three central areas: creating a system for strategically targeting key federal funding opportunities aligned with the strategic goals of UC, emphasizing and targeting opportunities to increase industry funding, and enabling faculty researchers to be innovative by rewarding entrepreneurship.

>>Read the full report on the 2011 research numbers.
>>Download the November 2011 issue of UC Research containing the 2011 Research Annual Report.

Campus Renovations

MSB: The work continues on the multiple-phase project, and construction plans are on track. Work on Phase III is expected to begin in early 2012.

>>Read more on the MSB Rehabilitation project and work that was done in 2011.

>>See a map, specifying the areas where work is taking place.

Nursing: Work on Procter Hall includes a new entry and preparation for a "green” roof. Details

Pharmacy: The Skills Laboratory suite at the James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy is moving down one floor but up several levels to a state-of-the-art working environment, thanks to a renovation scheduled to be completed in February 2012. Details

Allied Health Sciences: French East added five parking spaces and enhanced the area’s landscaping. Details