Interim Chair, Department of Internal Medicine

It is my distinct privilege and pleasure to serve as the Interim Chair of the Department of Internal Medicine, an opportunity precipitated by the departure of our former Chair, Marc E. Lippman, M.D., in April 2007. "Interim leadership" often raises concerns over loss of momentum in support of academic missions. However, I am happy to report that with the full encouragement of the Dean of the Medical School, the financial well-being of the department, and the dedication of an outstanding leadership team (both at the division and departmental levels), the Department of Internal Medicine will continue to invest in new initiatives and take full advantage of the resources and talent within our academic portfolio. Our current excellent health is due in large part to the success of Dr. Lippman's leadership over the past six years. Specific accomplishments of the Department during his tenure included:

• The recruitment of approximately 225 new faculty members in all tracks and throughout the medicine subspecialties (to a faculty "headcount" of 513). Many of these talented individuals have already made a difference in our missions of patient care, research and education. The appointment of 13 endowed professorships since 2001 has also further enhanced our ability to attract and retain highly accomplished physician-scientists. We are a large and dynamic department with outstanding depth and breadth.
• New chiefs were appointed to run five of our 12 divisions: Drs. Peter Arvan (Metabolism, Endocrinology and Diabetes), Frank Brosius (Nephrology), Powel Kazanjian (Infectious Diseases), David Pinsky (Cardiovascular Medicine), and Stephen Weiss (Molecular Medicine and Genetics). Each of our divisions enjoys entrepreneurial leadership.
• During the last six years we have seen a 66.3% increase in overall extramural support and a 75.4% increase in federal funding. Our department now ranks 9th in the nation for NIH funding to Departments of Internal Medicine (2005 rankings). Current research expenditures are at an all-time high of $105.7 M.
• Expansion of clinical programs and development of incentive models resulted in positive operating margins during the past four years which have helped to support our education mission. The creation of the Medical Student Scholarship Fund has already provided support to five outstanding fourth-year medical students who plan careers in Internal Medicine.

These and other initiatives have enhanced the stature of our programs and have increased our Department's national ranking to 8th in the 2007 US News and World Report listing of research-oriented medical schools.

As highlighted in the 2006 Annual Report (www.med.umich.edu/intmed/annualreport/ ), the past year has been an exciting one on many fronts for the Department. I would like to call your attention to a few accomplishments in the areas of research, patient care, and education:

• An innovative needle-free vaccine strategy developed by a team of Allergy Division faculty (see inside front cover of the Annual Report), made possible by a gift from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. This approach could revolutionize immunization against communicable disease, particularly in the Third World;
• The move of the Geriatric Center's clinics and the Turner Geriatric Center to more accessible space on the East Ann Arbor Health Campus (Annual Report, page 27);
• Launch of the Michigan Metabolomics and Obesity Center (Annual Report, page 38) in our Metabolism, Endocrinology and Diabetes (MEND) Division, with a focus on the discovery of factors that influence the development and persistence of obesity;
• A highly successful internal medicine residency "match" with the recruitment of a group of talented and dedicated first-year house officers from a national pool of applicants;
• The development and implementation of a new curriculum for medical house officers with a focus on patient safety and quality of care (funded by the Medical School's Innovations in Education Fund) (Annual Report, page 10).

In the current (FY08) academic year, we have recently experienced the grand opening of our magnificent new Cardiovascular Center, which will provide both the resources and opportunities for enhanced collaboration among all disciplines (e.g., Medicine, Surgery, Radiology, Neurology, etc.) with a focus on the management of patients with cardiovascular diseases. Other initiatives in progress include:

• The opening of a new Phase I Experimental Therapeutics Unit within the Cancer Center (Annual Report, page 31), which will enable our oncologists to provide innovative new therapies to our cancer patients.
• The targeted recruitment of additional faculty talent to the Divisions of Cardiovascular Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Hematology/Oncology, Gastroenterology, Nephrology, and Endocrinology-faculty whose expertise will complement that of existing faculty to enhance the critical mass of clinician science in these disciplines.
• Further development of an Academic Hospitalist Program with a strategic initiative to better incorporate education and research as performed by hospitalist physicians.
• Departmental cooperation with the Faculty Group Practice to improve ambulatory care efficiency and access to primary and subspecialty care.
• Cooperation with the Hospital and Health System to create "destination centers," to serve as a magnet for out-of-state patients to take full advantage of the special skills and resources of our center.
• Partnership with the Michigan Institute for Clinical Health Research (MICHR) in the application of NIH CTSA funding to further develop and enhance clinical research initiatives by department faculty.

A national search for a permanent Chair of the Department of Internal Medicine will get into full swing later this year, and I anticipate no shortage of outstanding candidates for this position! In the meantime, I will focus much of my attention to fostering the initiatives outlined above and encouraging an environment in which our newly recruited and existing faculty can reach their full academic potential. I am confident that the efforts of these talented individuals will lead to discoveries of new and improved therapies, and perhaps even cures, for the many diseases that we treat.