Dean's Message - December 2008
|
Dear Colleagues:
In keeping with the spirit of the season, I want to express my most sincere gratitude to each of you for your tremendous hard work and dedication to the advancement of science and medicine in the School of Medicine, Maryland and the nation. Indeed, the School of Medicine experienced numerous successes this past year, many of which were reported in my 2008 State of the School address. They include:
- An astounding increase of nearly 10 percent in research grants and contracts over 2007, totaling $377 million
- An almost 11 percent increase in patient care revenue for our Practice Plan, reflecting a 99 percent net collection rate
- Private gifts increased by almost 7 percent to $49.1 million, and endowments increased 6 percent from last year to $173.8 million
- Total revenue, including grants and contracts, tuition, state funding, faculty practice revenue and philanthropic gifts, exceeded $734 million
- The Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center earned the prestigious National Cancer Institute designation for research excellence and research-related patient care
- The School of Medicine received an eight-year reaccreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), with a number of laudatory comments and virtually no citations for deficiencies
- National media coverage of the School of Medicine's discoveries and innovations increased dramatically by 85 percent.
As you are well aware, we are facing difficult times. There is a great amount of uncertainty and trepidation nationally and internationally about the economy. We will, therefore, be greatly challenged to match the successes we achieved this past year. However, because of the remarkable dedication and commitment to teamwork of our faculty and staff, I am confident that we will be able to weather this period of uncertainty and economic challenges and achieve many more successes in this coming year.
The holidays present us not only with an opportunity to spend time with our families, but with an opportunity to express gratitude to the friends and colleagues with whom we work. I want to say "thank you" for your many, many contributions, both collectively and individually, for our successes and wish each of you joyous, bountiful blessings and tranquility at this special time. Please accept my very best regards to you and your family.
In the relentless pursuit of excellence, I am
Sincerely yours,
E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA
Vice President for Medical Affairs, University of Maryland,
John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor and
Dean, University of Maryland School of Medicine