July 1, 2004
Staff of the Keck School of Medicine of USC
Dear Colleagues:
Today marks my first day as the dean of the Keck School of Medicine of USC, a role I am undertaking with enthusiasm and optimism.
This morning we held a meeting of the Keck School Board of Overseers at the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute. The Overseers continue to be an important group of advisors to the school. At the meeting President Sample expressed his enthusiasm for moving forward with campus expansion and other plans such as the development of a biomedical research park. I value the support of the President, Provost and university leadership as we move forward.
The Keck School is in an enviable position. Thanks to Steve Ryan, we are well under way in our transformation of the physical campus with the addition of four new buildings that are either under construction or completed, and plans for additional new facilities. We have overhauled our curriculum, to great success. We have grown*and continue to grow*our science research programs, garnering increases in federal funding that have met our goals. And Ryan has left us a strong plan and vision for the school, which I will continue to pursue.
As I consider my plan for my first 100 days as dean, much of the work I see ahead involves moving forward with these existing programs and projects. While much will remain the same, you will also note some administrative changes over the next few months. Some of those changes are reflected on the draft of our new organizational chart, which you will soon be receiving. Chief among these changes is the academic appointment of Jeffry Huffman, who has been named Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs.
One of my first priorities as dean of the Keck School of Medicine will be focusing on developing a new strategic plan for our school’s clinical mission. This plan will be shaped by a strategic planning group, headed by Huffman, and will include the members of what will now be called the Dean’s Advisory Committee: Roberta Williams (chair), Ed Crandall, Tom DeMeester, Zach Hall, Jeff Huffman, Peter Jones, Ron Ross, Ron Smith, Vaughn Starnes and Clive Taylor. This team will work in close collaboration with Department Chairs and interested faculty members on a number of issues.
For instance, this group will be responsible for leading the planning for the opening of the LAC+USC Medical Center replacement facility, which is scheduled to begin operating in 2007. The new facility will require a shift in focus, with a large increase in the number of emergency room and trauma beds. This change is going to have an impact on our residency programs, the hospital’s staffing requirements, and our teaching here at the Keck School. As yet, we don’t yet have a clear plan for this major shift. That will be part of the strategic planning group’s charge*to figure out how we will staff the new replacement facility, and what changes we need to make in our hospital affiliations and educational programs to fit with these changing parameters.
In addition, we need to begin planning for the eventual move of the USC/Norris Hospital beds to the new Norris Tower addition to USC University Hospital. My primary objective during this move will be to maintain the spirit of the Norris, which has been such a vital part of this school for two decades now, and which exemplifies the very best in patient care.
The team also will work on strategic plans for our ongoing and mutually beneficial relationship with Tenet Healthcare, and consider the best ways to manage our private practice. They will look at how we can optimize our ongoing and ever-growing connections with Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. And they will consider the best and most useful methods by which we can strengthen our clinical research programs.
As a research scientist with a number of ongoing grants myself, I am committed to the Keck School’s ongoing pursuit of basic and translational research, bringing clinical findings from bench to bedside. It is my belief that this process requires a strong, broad-based basic research foundation upon which we can build.
Key to this plan will be the creation of a new clinical research support office. Zach Hall and Jeff Huffman will work with clinical scientists throughout the Keck School to determine what is needed to strengthen our scientific and research programs in the clinical sciences.
As we develop new research space, we also will continue to consider the reallocation of existing space in accordance with the faculty’s changing needs. We need to support our current scientists, to continue to push to recruit the finest basic and clinical scientists in the nation, and to mentor those junior faculty who are already here. Finally, we need to make sure that our clinical and research endeavors grow together in a way that allows them to best complement one another.
Another critical area of focus in my first 100 days will be to move forward on the planned research buildings and the planning for the BioMedical Park in conjunction with the County of Los Angeles. President Sample has renewed his commitment to moving this project forward, and Supervisor Gloria Molina also has indicated her strong support.
I will be traveling for part of this first 100 days. I am looking forward to the time to reflect on the opportunities ahead of us and how we can make the most of them.
I am, of course, open to and interested in any comments you might have during this early phase, and as we move forward. I can be reached through a new email address:
[email protected], or by contacting Elizabeth (Betty) Smith, senior administrator, at (323) 442-1900 or
[email protected].
Sincerely,
Brian E. Henderson, M.D.
Dean, Keck School of Medicine of USC
Kenneth T. Norris Jr. Chair in Cancer Prevention
)
