Medical school news
From the Dean
Dear Friends,
Medical advances don’t happen in tidy compartments like specialties or academic divisions. They cross boundaries, occurring, for example, where physicists connect with oncologists, neurologists, and engineers.
At the University’s Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR), recognized as one of the world’s best imaging labs, scientists are making important discoveries in diseases as diverse as diabetes, breast cancer, ataxia, and schizophrenia. And, led by Kamil Ugurbil, Ph.D., a chemical physicist and professor in the Departments of Radiology, Neuroscience, and Medicine, they’re expanding the boundaries of imaging science itself.
Now undergoing a major expansion in the University’s emerging Biomedical Discovery District, the CMRR will be obtaining a 16.4 Tesla magnet, the world’s strongest. And it will be linked to neighboring labs in such fields as neuroscience, cardiovascular medicine, and stem cell research so scientists in those areas have easy access to the state-of-the-art imaging technology, and the CMRR, in turn, can benefit from their expertise.
Collaboration also is fueling invention in the Institute for Engineering in Medicine (IEM), established in 2007 by the Medical School and the Institute of Technology. As you’ll read in our story on page 8, the IEM’s 118 faculty members represent more than 30 academic disciplines.
Meanwhile, medical students Suzanne Garber and Ngozika Okoye are working to eliminate boundaries that result in lower medical standards for people of color and underserved communities. As copresidents of our Student National Medical Association chapter, they are building alliances that benefit our patients and communities.
In today’s economic climate, such collaboration is more crucial than ever, and you will find it at the heart of our Medical School’s success stories.
Deborah E. Powell, M.D.
Dean, University of Minnesota Medical School
McKnight Presidential Leadership Chair
