Dear Colleagues:

I am pleased to announce that Dr. Bryan Toole has agreed to serve as Interim Chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology while we undergo the search to identify a permanent successor to Dr. Yusuf Hannun.  I met with the faculty in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology yesterday to inform them about Dr. Toole’s appointment.  Dr. Toole has significant administrative experience, having previously served as a department chair at another institution, and I am so appreciative of his willingness to assume this position.  He will begin working with Dr. Hannun to ensure a smooth transition in leadership upon Dr. Hannun’s departure.

The search committee for the co-Chair for Neurology, Department of Neurosciences, chaired by Dr. Tom Uhde, has been hard at work over the past several months.  They have just released the names of the initial group of candidates invited to interview for this position.  The candidates currently invited to interview are- Jeffrey Loeb (Wayne State University School of Medicine, February 9-10), Tracy Batchelor (Harvard Medical School, March 8-9), Robert Messing (UCSF School of Medicine, March 15-16), and Andrew Budson (Boston University School of Medicine, dates TBD).  It is my understanding that the committee intends to invite several additional candidates to interview for this position, and I will share that information with you once it becomes public.

Last fall, under the leadership of Senior Associate Dean for Research Craig Crosson, a Cardiovascular Working Group was formed to review cardiovascular research across the College and develop a plan to advance these efforts.  That committee, which was chaired by Drs. Don Menick and Phil Saul, has now submitted its report and recommendations to me.  A copy of their full report can be found at http://www.musc.edu/com/research/CardiovascularReport.pdf.  I would appreciate hearing from members of the College of Medicine regarding the committee’s recommendations.  Those wishing to comment on the report may send their thoughts via email to research-plan@musc.edu.

MUSC Children’s Hospital is one of five in the country recently recognized by Consumer Reports for having no central line bloodstream infections among ICU patients during the period of study.  This is an impressive accomplishment, and serves to highlight the wonderful care and attention to patient safety being delivered by the pediatric ICU team.  Joel Cochran and Melinda Biller were mentioned in the Consumer Reports article for their leadership in infection-prevention efforts.  Congratulations to the entire pediatric ICU team for this recognition of your excellence.

I learned earlier this week that MUSC has received formal notice of American College of Surgeons (ACS) Trauma Certification.  The ACS verification program helps hospitals evaluate and improve trauma care, providing an objective, external review of a trauma center’s resources and performance.  We are currently the only ACS-verified trauma center in the state of South Carolina.  ACS Trauma Certification is the result of a multi-year effort involving many individuals including Doug Norcross, Samir Fakhry, Bruce Crookes, Sharon DeGrace, and Deb Couillard.  I’d like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to all those individuals involved in this effort.

Dr. Marvella Ford was honored last week as the MUSC 2012 Martin Luther King, Jr. Award recipient.  She was recognized for her service and contributions to the Tri-county community.  Please join me in congratulating Dr. Ford on this richly deserved award and recognition.

The Twenty-Fifth Annual Charity Ball, sponsored by the College of Medicine Student Council and the Medical Student Alumni Council, is being held on Saturday, February 18, at 7:00 p.m. in Memminger Auditorium.  Proceeds from this event will benefit several wonderful community organizations assisting those in our community who are need.  More information about this event, including how to purchase tickets and donate items for the silent auction, can be found at http://www.musc.edu/charityball/.

As always, I look forward to hearing from you via email or when I attend your departmental meetings.

With warm regards,

Etta