Dear Department of Medicine family:

 

When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers face the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV on Sunday, there are some interesting story lines, an aging legendary quarterback versus a young star wanting to create a legend of his own at the same position. Which team will work together cohesively to win the game? I am fortunate to be working with a great team of colleagues here at Tulane, and we will win! I appreciate all the hard work, resilience and courage each of you have demonstrated during this pandemic.

 

This week, I have good news from the Section of Hematology and Oncology. Courtney Brock, a Physician-Scientist Program (P/SP) graduate student in the laboratory of Matthew E. Burow and Bridgette Collins-Burow, was selected for the CCTS TL1 fellowship program award to begin July 2021-July 2022. This program will provide partial stipend support, travel, and additional training opportunities. Additionally, two other Tulane Bioinnovation Program Ph.D. students, Katie Hebert and Maryl Wright, were selected for the TL1 program this year. Their success builds upon a track record of CCTS TL1 funded MD/Ph.D. students in the Burow laboratory, including Margarite Matossian, who will be completing her training and transitioning to Residency for July, and Andy Nguyen, currently an active TL1 recipient, who is working on the dissertation research for his Ph.D. This is a testament to the track record and rigor of the P/SP, the leadership and quality of students accepted to the program, and the support and integration with vital research programs and environment in the John W. Deming Department of Medicine and the Tulane School of Medicine that have facilitated this success.   

As you have heard earlier this week from Dean Hamm, we continue to battle the COVID pandemic. Please continue to follow social distancing and masking guidelines, whether you been vaccinated or not. If you have not already received the COVID vaccine, you can make appointments through the Tulane University on-campus COVID-19 vaccine clinic (make an appointment here). 

 

Our department espouses solidarity in fundamental principles of respect for everyone, irrespective of race or background; fairness, diversity, inclusion and cultural competence.  We care for each other, and value integrity, transparency, collaboration, resilience and work-life balance.

 

Enjoy the Super Bowl!

 

Victor J. Thannickal, M.D.                                           

Chair, Deming Department of Medicine