3 minute read
LETTER FROM THE CHAIR
Dear Michigan Radiology Alumni, Faculty, Staff, Trainees, and Friends of the Department:
It’s a pleasure to be communicating with you once again by means of our department newsletter. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the newsletter had been on pause, and this is our first edition since 2019. Welcome back, we have a lot to catch up on!
I’m starting my second term as your department chair, and I want to reaffirm a core principle: we are a department that puts people first. This principle has helped us navigate through a number of storms, including public health crises, institutional changes, and political and economic uncertainty. This department’s excellence comes from our people, and this newsletter is devoted to singing their (and your) praises. In this edition, we have the opportunity to welcome new trainees and faculty, share a few updates on our cutting edge research and clinical care, congratulate faculty for their national and international accomplishments this academic year, and acknowledge and hear updates from our cadre of retirees since 2019. I have the pleasure of sharing my work life with over 1700 brilliant and committed colleagues in our growing department, and it is such a pleasure to share a few highlights with our community.
Looking inward, we are continually assessing our structure and processes to make sure our direction is in alignment with our goals as a department. At the same time, we are always being assessed externally, and our reputation is important. Rankings and external perceptions drive recruitment, help to maintain the value of your diplomas, encourage grant funding and philanthropic giving, and so much more. In our field, two rankings dominate. The Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research ranks us according to our NIH funding, and the US News and World Report is a reputational ranking, and depends on alumni and friends of departments to fill out the appropriate survey sent out by US News/Doximity. When you see these surveys, please do fill them out. This is a quick and easy way to say “Go Blue” and I want to personally thank you for taking a moment to help us with this.
Finally, I’d like to encourage all of you to keep in touch. Join us in person at our fall tailgate or our RSNA reception, follow us on social media, or drop a line to say hello and let us know what you are up to. We are so proud of our alumni, who make up a growing network of skilled physicians and scientists making a difference all over the country and the world. You really are the leaders and the best. How did your U-M training shape your career? I know it shaped mine. We hope to feature some alumni profiles in future newsletters and would love to hear from you.
Have a wonderful summer, and we hope to see you at some of our fall events!
Sincerely,
Vikas
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ALUMNI INFORMATION UPDATE
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