Messages for the GUMC Community

Messages from the Office of the Executive Vice President of Health Sciences

Date: February 21, 2024
Subject: Welcoming Our New “Cluster” Faculty

Dear Members of the GUMC Community:

We are so very pleased to welcome the arrival this spring of four new faculty members who make up our first “cluster hires” cohort, an important, new strategic approach for strengthening health sciences at GUMC while complementing our existing research strengths.

As you may recall, the new researchers are unified around a theme of interdisciplinary/interdepartmental collaboration titled “Integrative Approaches to Neuroplasticity Across the Lifespan.” This theme is aligned with two GUMC affirmed priority areas – mind and brain, and age and age-related diseases. Furthermore, the recruitment effort was designed in a manner to support GUMC’s commitment to reflect a more diverse faculty as we build our research interest.

The new faculty members will start at Georgetown over the next few months and will work in four departments: Pharmacology and Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular & Cellular Biology, Neurology and Neuroscience. To accommodate their arrival, the university’s Board of Directors approved a plan to renovate and modernize offices and labs with an expected completion later this year.

We welcome:

• Joan Orpella, PhD, who joined us on Feb. 1 from New York University where he completed his postdoctoral fellowship. He is an assistant professor in the Department of Neuroscience. Dr. Orpella’s research focuses on how different types of information (e.g., speech prosody, phonology, syntax, timing) are processed, interact, and are integrated to achieve everyday tasks such as speech production, perception, and language learning.
• Hong-yuan Chu, PhD, joins us April 1 from the Van Andel Institute. He will be an associate professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Physiology. Dr. Chu’s research focuses on neural circuit dysfunction associated with Parkinson’s pathology using mouse models of the disease.
• Tong (Tina) Liu, PhD, joins us April 1 after completing her postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institute of Mental Health. She will be an assistant professor in the Department of Neurology. Dr. Liu’s research focuses on understanding visual plasticity in the context of epilepsy surgery and stroke recovery in humans.
• Priyanka Joshi, PhD, joins us July 1 after completing a research fellowship at University of California, Berkeley. She will be an assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular & Cellular Biology. Dr. Joshi’s research focuses on the biomolecular homeostasis of metabolites and proteins in aging and neurodegenerative diseases.

Many faculty members participated in this incredibly successful effort and we are truly grateful for their important contributions.

Please join us in welcoming all of our new colleagues as we know you share in the commitment to fully supporting this important initiative and each faculty member’s success as they work across our Medical Center.

Yours truly,

Elliott Crooke, PhD
Vice President for Faculty and Academic Affairs

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences

Date: December 28, 2023
Subject: Respectful Dialogue, Engagement and Community

Dear Members of the GUMC Community,

Over the last several years, we have come together as a medical center community to address many challenging topics and have done so through thoughtful, respectful dialogue. That important manner of engagement reflects our shared commitment to Georgetown values.

We are now facing new challenges and a heightened concern for many of our students who report feeling unsafe or unsupported because of actions that are a departure from what we expect from each other as students and colleagues.
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In the past couple of weeks, information about students, including email addresses and screenshots of their social media posts – including those with language found to be offensive by many in our community – was given without students’ knowledge to news reporters. We have received reports of retribution against those believed to be involved in the sharing of the information. This situation follows a concerning incident several weeks ago during a Zoom class.

All of this behavior, including the disclosure of students’ private information, is unacceptable, antithetical to our values and could be a violation of our medical school’s student code of professionalism.

Georgetown University strongly condemns antisemitism, Islamophobia, discrimination, and hatred of any kind in our community and is deeply committed to fostering a safe, welcoming and inclusive community that respects the inherent dignity and shared humanity of each member of our community.

The views of students and faculty members expressed in their private capacities are their own and not the views of the University. While Georgetown’s Speech and Expression policy does not prohibit speech, even when the views expressed may be controversial or offensive to many in our community, we do not tolerate harassment, discrimination, intimidation or threats of harm.

Expression that violates the law, falsely defames a specific individual, constitutes a genuine threat, violates the University’s Harassment Policy, or unjustifiably invades substantial privacy or confidentiality interests is prohibited. Those found to be in violation of Georgetown policies are subject to disciplinary action. The University supports civil discourse and the expression of broad ranges of viewpoints. Additionally, in the classroom and in their interactions with students, faculty members are expected to be free of bias.

We have taken numerous actions in support of students affected by these incidents, as we do in support of all students. The School of Medicine has engaged with the office of Institutional Diversity, Equity & Affirmative Action (IDEAA), which has expertise in and is primarily responsible for the University’s compliance with its antidiscrimination policies. IDEAA can and has provided a range of support and resources to University community members who feel affected by recent events. We have also engaged Georgetown’s threat assessment team to connect with affected community members and have requested a more general threat assessment. (The University does not typically comment on individual matters.) The University continues to have increased security strategically placed around campus. We have and continue to meet with the impacted students to offer them support and resources.

Also, effective immediately, I have asked several members of our GUMC leadership to formalize the work we’ve been doing as part of a new Student Support Resource Group. That work will also include guiding and providing support to students related to their private information, identifying and addressing potential challenges in the learning environment in this current time, engaging with MedStar Health regarding these issues and exploring related career advising strategies.

Finally, we encourage anyone who sees evidence of a bias- or hate-motivated incident to file a report through the Bias Related Incident Reporting System, accessible online or via the LiveSafe app.

We are called to be so much more than the behavior we’re seeing playing out this past couple of weeks, and in other moments over the last several weeks. We will not allow the actions of a few to threaten or derail the pursuit of our common good. As always, we support civil discourse, which doesn’t exclude debating difficult, challenging beliefs. Most importantly, we must continue to build and nourish efforts to foster a safe, mutually supportive and inclusive community that respects the inherent dignity and shared humanity of each member of this community. Those are our Georgetown values, and they should guide our actions in these very difficult times.

My very best wishes for a happy and safe New Year,

Ed

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences
Executive Dean, School of Medicine

Date: December 1, 2023
Subject: Shooting of Palestinian College Students and Safety

Dear Members of the GUMC Community:

The unprovoked shooting last weekend of three college students with Palestinian heritage in Burlington, Vermont, understandably sparks fear for many in our community and around the country. Fortunately, all three young men survived though one faces a very long recovery and all three likely face long term emotional and mental health impacts caused by this severe trauma. This kind of violence is deeply disturbing for all of us, but particularly for young people who may see themselves in these victims or who may also fear being targeted just because of who they are.

And so, we write today to express our solidarity with all our Arab, Muslim and Jewish communities and everyone who faces similar fears. We denounce violence, Islamophobia, antisemitism and all forms of hate. Our community’s mental health and safety remain among our highest concerns.

Here at Georgetown, each of us has a role in creating a safe and compassionate environment for each other – and especially for our students. At times like these, as we turn to support each other, we’re reminded of how important and fundamental our collective work is toward creating a better world that reflects our Jesuit values. These shared values are what unite us as a community in diversity in pursuit of social justice. This is especially evident at our Medical Center where we are called to be compassionate and caring for others through many pathways.

Please know that Georgetown is committed to creating a safe environment within our open campus and has taken steps to provide additional security where needed. If, at any time, you feel unsafe on or near our campus, our LiveSafe mobile app allows you to report concerning activity, request a SafeRide, reach the Georgetown University Police Department (GUPD), or access resources related to mental health or bias reporting. Help is available 24/7. GUPD can be reached at (202) 687-4343.

We also ask that if you see something…say something. Program the GUPD phone number – (202) 687-4343 – into your phones. If you are concerned about threatening behavior or are worried about potential violence to the university or someone at Georgetown, call GUPD or contact the Georgetown Threat Assessment Program.

Georgetown offers resources for mental and emotional health and well-eing for our faculty, staff and students on the Every Hoya Cares website. We encourage our community members to seek support as needed for themselves or someone they know.

In addition, the Office of Campus Ministry provides contemplative spaces, religious services, and spiritual accompaniment to students, faculty, and staff of all religious and non-religious identities. To make a virtual or in-person appointment, you can reach out directly to any of the Chaplains or staff through the Campus Ministry website.

Finally, we encourage anyone who sees evidence of a bias- or hate-motivated incident to file a report through the Bias Related Incident Reporting System, accessible online or via the LiveSafe app, or call GUPD at (202) 687-4343.

With our very best wishes,

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences
Executive Dean, Georgetown University School of Medicine

Lee Jones, MD
Dean for Medical Education, School of Medicine

Christopher J. King, PhD, FACHE
Dean, School of Health

Anna T. Riegel, PhD
Vice President, Biomedical Education and Research

Roberta Waite, EdD, PMHCNS, RN, MSN
Dean, School of Nursing

Date: November 15, 2023
Subject: Please Welcome: New Director of HR Amri Rouson

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce that Amri Rouson will begin on December 11, 2023, as our new Director of Human Resources for Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC). Amri will oversee the delivery of HR services to the Medical Center community, including staff members, AAPs, faculty, fellows, and students. She will serve on the HR Leadership Team, reporting directly to me and indirectly to the Vice President GUMC Operations, Administration and Strategic Initiatives.

Since 2014, Amri has served in a variety of roles supporting HR operations on different campuses at Georgetown, including Main Campus, University Services, and currently GUMC. Over the past decade, she has led institutional HR compliance programs through policy and procedure development, streamlined employee life cycle processes as a GMS subject matter expert, and advanced HR strategic priorities through data-driven insights and decision-making. In March 2022, Amri transitioned away from her full-time position with the Department of HR to gain expertise in data analytics in a corporate setting at The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G). While there, she delivered on workforce planning, employee engagement, and retention initiatives by implementing effective programs and actionable interventions to reduce attrition.

Over the past four years in a part-time role with GUMC, Amri has provided critical human capital management support to the Center for Global Health Practice and Impact (CGHPI), and, most recently, the EVP Leadership Team, Finance & Administration, the Clinical Research Operations Office, and the School of Medicine.

Amri graduated from Georgetown University’s School of Continuing Studies with an MPS in Corporate Communications and holds a BS in Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resources Management from Towson University.

Please join me in welcoming Amri to our team in this new capacity. We look forward to her contributions in support of the continued growth and success of GUMC.

All my best,

Edward B. Healton
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences

Date: October 20, 2023
Subject: Announcement of Postdoctoral Fellow Policy

Dear Georgetown University Community Members,

Today we are writing to announce the inaugural Postdoctoral Fellow Policy that will apply to all Postdoctoral Fellows on the Hilltop campus starting January 1, 2024. The policy will be reviewed after three years.

Postdoctoral fellows are an integral part of our research mission and the intellectual life of our departments and research groups. The policy specifies the terms and conditions governing postdoctoral appointments and provides guidance on goal-planning practices for mentors and postdoctoral fellows. The policy was approved by the Graduate School Executive Committee, after extensive consultation with faculty and administrators, and it will be implemented and administered by the Office of Faculty Affairs for the Main Campus and Medical Center, respectively. The policy will also be updated on all web pages relevant for the postdoctoral fellow community as well.   

The new policy is the culmination of a one and a half year-long effort of a cross-campus working group, which reviewed best practices at our peer and benchmark institutions and engaged stakeholders on the Hilltop. We thank the working group members listed below for their hard work in building this important new policy, and we look forward to the universal guidance that it will provide to our community.

• Rachel Bridges, Director for Benefit Services, Communications and GUWellness
• Elliott Crooke, Vice President for Faculty and Academic Affairs, Medical Center
• Charles DeSantis, Associate Vice President for Benefits, Payroll, and Wellness and Chief Benefits Officer
• Caleb McKinney, Associate Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Training & Development for Biomedical Graduate Education, and Assistant Vice President of Master’s Program Administration & Development, Medical Center
• Alexander Sens, Dean of the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences and the Markos and Eleni Tsakopoulos-Kounalakis Professor of Hellenic Studies
• Maria Snyder, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
• Chandan Vaidya, Vice Provost for Faculty, Main Campus
• Ifé Tafari, Director of Law Center Human Resources, Law Center
• Karen Walters, Strategic Project Manager for Faculty and Academic Affairs, Medical Center

If you have any questions about this policy, please contact:

• Main Campus: viceprovostforfaculty@georgetown.edu
• Medical Center: ofaa@georgetown.edu

Sincerely,

Robert M. Groves
Executive Vice President for the Main Campus and Provost

Edward B. Healton
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences

Date: October 16, 2023
Subject: Apply Now! Call for RJCC Committee Members 2023-2024

Dear Members of the GUMC Community:

On behalf of the Racial Justice Committee for Change (RJCC), we invite you to join us in being advocates and leaders in pursuing institutional and societal change as a member of the GUMC Racial Justice Committee for Change. At this time, we are interested in identifying students, staff and faculty from the School of Nursing, School of Health, Biomedical Graduate Education (BGE) and the School of Medicine who would be interested in serving on this GUMC committee. Come join the leaders of the School of Health, School of Nursing, BGE and School of Medicine as we further the racial justice and health equity goals at GUMC.

As you may know, the RJCC was founded in 2020 based on an open letter and 10 original requests from more than 500 students of the School of Medicine, and became a GUMC standing committee in 2021. This committee remains open and student driven, with rolling applications year-round, and implementation of ideas and programs based on student, faculty and staff contributions, and budgetary and administrative support from GUMC.

If you would like to learn more about the RJCC, please visit the RJCC website. This contains the origins, the School of Medicine Students’ Open Letter and Response from the EVP’s Office, and a list of committees and their most recent members. Faculty, staff, and students across the Medical Center who are interested in joining the mission and work of this committee should apply through the RJCC Application of Interest . The deadline for application submission is Nov. 21, 2023.

We will be hosting an OPEN FORUM on Nov. 13th at 6 p.m. in the NRB auditorium – refreshments will be provided. We encourage all members of the GUMC community to join to discuss our successes to date, future plans and provide critical feedback.

Together we will continue the pursuit of cura personalis and sustainable change across our Medical Center. If you have any questions, please email rjcc@georgetown.edu.

Thank you,

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences

Lee Jones, MD
Dean for Medical Education, School of Medicine

Christopher J. King, PhD, MHSc
Dean, School of Health

Anna T. Riegel, PhD
Vice President, Biomedical Education and Research

Roberta Waite, EdD, PMHCNS, RN, MSN
Dean, School of Nursing

Date: October 11, 2023
Subject: Update Regarding Dr. Anna Riegel

Dear Members of the GUMC Community:

I’m pleased to share that Anna Tate Riegel, PhD, has accepted my offer to be GUMC’s permanent Vice President for Biomedical Education and Research.

Since agreeing to serve as interim vice president in November of 2022, Anna has been instrumental in advancing key operational aspects of research and graduate education as we strengthen the link between these entities.

Over the last couple of weeks, I have engaged several faculty colleagues and other constituencies to inform them of the plan to make Anna’s role permanent.  I am heartened by the broad support that she has received. Thank you.

Please join me in supporting her as she continues her important service to Georgetown.

Yours truly,

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences

Date: October 9, 2023
Subject: Standing in Solidarity/Shared Grief

Dear Members of the GUMC Community,

This past weekend marked the beginning of another war in our world and another deeply troubling humanitarian crisis marked by widespread death and destruction. Through gruesome videos and live television pictures along with first person accounts, we are all witnessing a horrific situation unfold in real time. The violence against Israel on Saturday was abhorrent and unacceptable, and we are deeply concerned about the loss of innocent lives across the region since.

At this very difficult moment, many of you may share some of the extremely challenging feelings that we’re trying to process. At times, you may find it hard to stay focused and even more difficult to sustain a sense of well-being  as many in our community may feel under attack. Some may feel helplessness in the face of such atrocities, some may question their own safety here and abroad, and for some in our community, these events can be triggering, reflecting disturbing previous experiences.

As we have had to do too, unfortunately, many times before, we wish to express our solidarity and shared grief with our community members who are directly or indirectly impacted by this war. 

It will take time before we are able to feel some semblance of normal life. We may find it helpful  to collectively rededicate ourselves in the Jesuit spirit of caring for each other and for our community. That can be carried out in so many different ways — including small acts of kindness.

Your mental and emotional well-being are of utmost importance. As a reminder, if you need assistance during this troubling time, please take advantage of the resources Georgetown has available to help support our community. You can find information on the Every Hoya Cares website.

We wish you the very best,

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences
Executive Dean, Georgetown University School of Medicine

Lee Jones, MD
Dean for Medical Education, School of Medicine

Christopher J. King, PhD, MHSc
Dean, School of Health

Anna T. Riegel, PhD
Interim Vice President, Biomedical Education and Research

Roberta Waite, EdD, PMHCNS, RN, MSN
Dean, School of Nursing

Date: September 25, 2023
Subject: Distinguished University Professors

Dear Members of the GUMC Community:

I’m delighted to share that two of our esteemed Medical Center faculty colleagues have been appointed Georgetown University’s newest Distinguished University Professors. They are:

Lucile Adams-Campbell, PhD
Professor of Oncology, Associate Director for Minority Health and Health Disparities Research, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center
Senior Associate Dean for Community Outreach and Engagement, Georgetown University Medical Center

and

Richard Schlegel, MD, PhD
Oscar B. Hunter Chair of Pathology
Director, Center for Cell Reprogramming
Georgetown University Medical Center

Georgetown reserves the rank of Distinguished University Professor — its most significant professional honor — for faculty members whose extraordinary accomplishments in scholarship, teaching, and service have earned them significant recognition.

Both Dr. Adams-Campbell and Dr. Schlegel have amassed critical academic achievements that continue to improve the health and well-being of an untold number of people and communities,  and each is most deserving of this prestigious recognition.

We honor Dr. Schlegel for his seminal research leading to the first vaccine to prevent cancer.  Today, HPV vaccines are credited for saving lives and dramatically reducing the burden of cervical and other cancers in populations around the world. Dr. Schlegel continues to make significant contributions to science through his work in conditional reprogrammed cells, a tool allowing for the lab-based proliferation of healthy and cancerous cells to advance research.

We honor Dr. Adams-Campbell for her important contributions toward understanding and addressing health disparities in Washington, DC and beyond. Dr. Adams-Campbell approaches health disparities with particular emphasis on cancers that disproportionately impact African-Americans. Her focus on clinical trials, lifestyle interventions including physical activity, energy balance, obesity, metabolic syndrome, and oral health among minority and underserved populations is modeled by many others around the country.

Please join me as we extend our congratulatory wishes to Dr. Adams-Campbell and Dr. Schlegel for these important milestones in their careers. We look forward to celebrating their significant achievements during this academic year beginning with their recognition at the upcoming Georgetown University Faculty Convocation on Oct. 30.

Yours truly,

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President of Health Sciences
Executive Dean, School of Medicine

Date: September 22, 2023
Subject: GUMC Staff Community Award

September 22, 2023

Dear Members of the GUMC Community:

We are delighted to announce the new GUMC Staff Community Award – a recognition regularly honoring the exceptional work of our medical center staff.

These last few years, beginning with COVID-19 in 2020, have brought new challenges to our sense of community and to our wellness. Through it all, so many of our colleagues have brought positivity, perseverance and resilience to our community. They’ve repeatedly helped their colleagues, volunteered to serve in community activities, promoted belonging, and contributed in many other ways – seen and unseen – to the medical center community.

This award will be selected through a nomination process and judged by the GUMC Staff/AAP Caucus committee and select others. Up to two recipients may be selected each quarter to receive a $1,250 cash award and recognition celebration with GUMC leadership.

Nominations are now open until Nov. 17.  Please review criteria for the award and submit your nomination via this form. We will announce our first award recipient(s) in January.

We are grateful to all of our staff and AAP members for their dedication to the Medical Center and our important mission of research, education, patient care, and service to others.

Yours truly,

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences

John Dolan, PhD
President, GUMC Campus Caucus, Staff/AAP Council

Date: September 5, 2023
Subject: GUMC Leadership Changes

Dear Members of the GUMC Community:

I’m writing to share information about a leadership change at our Medical Center that positions us to further strengthen our core functions as we plan for future growth in a complex environment.

Mary Glasscock has been named Vice President for Operations, Administration and Strategic Initiatives. In assuming this role, she will step away from her responsibilities as Chief Financial Officer and expand her focus on the management of two critical areas for our medical center: operations and strategic initiatives. She will continue to provide a high level of administrative consultation, service, and support to our campus leaders, as well as recommending and developing strategic initiatives for operational efficiency and growth in support of GUMC’s research and education missions.

Willem Roos, the university’s Controller, joins our team as Interim Vice President/CFO for GUMC. Willem will help leverage our work and enhance our efforts with additional collaboration with the university’s Office of the Chief Financial Officer. In this role, Willem will provide financial management, budgeting and analysis expertise. He will work directly with my senior leadership team and me, as well as with unit leaders and the senior business managers of all GUMC units while continuing in his role as the university’s controller during this interim period.

As senior leaders on my leadership team, GUMC will benefit from the exceptional skills of both Mary and Willem as we continue to build and expand our financial and operations foundation to more firmly support our excellence as we evolve.

Yours truly,

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences

Date: June 29, 2023
Subject: The U.S. Supreme Court’s Decision on Affirmative Action

Dear Members of the GUMC Community:

In a profoundly disappointing development today, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision impacting universities’ and colleges’ ability to utilize race-conscious admissions practices to achieve the compelling educational benefits that flow from a diverse student body. In essence, the Court determined that race-conscious admissions practices at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina were unlawful.

Affirmative action is a complex issue, and people with good intentions will disagree. As part of the oldest Catholic and Jesuit university in the country, it is our belief that diversity among our students, faculty, and staff is essential to fulfilling our mission, which is “founded on the principle that serious and sustained discourse among people of different faiths, cultures, and beliefs promotes intellectual, ethical and spiritual understanding.” Through a variety of historically permissible tools, including a holistic admissions process, student pathway programs, and other efforts, we’ve been able to enrich the classroom experience for our students. We believe this is best accomplished in a diverse campus community.

These rulings could have a chilling impact on the diversification of a broad spectrum of disciplines, and perhaps will be realized most acutely in the education of future doctors, nurses, health care administrators, and scientists.

Research shows that one way to improve the health of all individuals, populations, and communities is through a diverse health care workforce. This is especially true in communities of color. A national analysis links greater life expectancy and lower mortality in Black populations when there are Black primary care physicians in their communities. This is on the heels of another study showing that in the last two decades through 2020, there were 1.6 million excessive deaths of Black people, amounting to 80 million years of potential life years lost. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, in her dissenting opinion today, also recognized that “increasing the number of students from underrepresented backgrounds who join the ranks of medical professionals improves health care access and health outcomes in medically underserved communities.”

In order to have a diverse pool to care for people in America, we must have diverse schools, and we must continue to make access to these schools a reality for our underrepresented  students. We will continue to comply with the law and, in the days ahead, will assess the impacts of today’s decision on our programs. We are committed to deploying all permissible strategies to promote a diverse community.

Beyond its impact on admissions, we want to ensure that all members of our community who are impacted by this decision feel welcome and supported, and receive the resources they need. Also, we wish to reaffirm their achievements and successes that have led to their earned place at Georgetown. We encourage all to take advantage of the well-being support services provided on our Every Hoya Cares website.

At Georgetown, we are called to be advocates for what is right and just. We are called to care for the whole person and to seek social justice, the cornerstone of our shared Catholic and Jesuit identity. These are the shared values we are intent on living out as a university community. We invite you to explore Georgetown’s response to today’s decision, our existing work and our community in diversity.

Sincerely,

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences

Date: June 15, 2023
Subject: Joint Office of Research Administration

Dear Faculty and Staff:

Today we are announcing an important step to help foster a culture of collaborative research across the university and increase the efficiency of research administration. Both of these will contribute to our goals of research excellence, educational preeminence, and societal impact.

In order to support and enable our faculty to do their best work as researchers and scholars, the Main Campus and Medical Center will consolidate existing research administrative services into the Joint Office of Research Administration, JORA.

JORA will provide a comprehensive array of pre- and post-award support to faculty across the Hilltop conducting sponsored research. In addition, the new office will collaborate with the research office at Georgetown Law. The director of JORA, who will be appointed in the coming weeks, will report jointly to the Vice Provost for Research on the Main Campus and the Interim Vice President for Biomedical Graduate Education and Research at GUMC. JORA will thus complete a suite of three research support offices that span the Hilltop, including the Office of Human Subjects Protection (OSHP), and the Office of Research Oversight (ORO).

JORA will be arranged by disciplinary clusters, each headed by a Cluster Research Administrator overseeing proposal development services, grants and contracts administration services, and grant management services. With this streamlined structure of research administration, faculty will be able to focus their efforts on the creative processes of inquiry, investigation and discovery. And as a result, we hope they will be better able to take advantage of external funding from Federal agencies, other government bodies, foundations, private industry, and philanthropic sources. By reinvesting some of these resources into our administrative and physical infrastructure, we envisage the creation of a virtuous cycle that will put us on a path to sustained increases in research productivity and impact.

This announcement represents the beginning of a transition process, during which we will no doubt face unexpected challenges while encountering new opportunities for collaboration, improvement, and learning. We ask that you support the JORA staff during this period and forward suggestions for improvements.

Sincerely,

Robert M. Groves
Executive Vice President for the Main Campus and Provost

Edward B. Healton
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences

Date: June 2, 2023
Subject: Our Work in the Year Ahead

Dear Members of the GUMC Community:

As you may have seen, today President DeGioia shared news of my decision to step down from my leadership roles at the Medical Center in Spring of 2024. My work as your EVP that began in 2015 has been one of the most personally fulfilling and consequential opportunities of my career. During my 8-year tenure, I have had the great privilege of working with wonderful colleagues and friends, and admired your many achievements and creative solutions in addressing pressing health issues and scientific discoveries, particularly against our collective challenges — from COVID, to racial justice to financial variability. You have persevered with great focus on achieving and supporting our critically important missions of research, education, service and, in continued close partnership with our academic health system partner MedStar Health, patient care. I am deeply grateful.

As we all know, transitions can be challenging to say the least, and while change is coming, my commitment to our shared goals is not changing. We will continue to work together on setting and achieving new goals for the coming year, while pressing forward with all of our current work. We’ll talk more about what’s ahead during our next community meeting. In all that we do, we will remain focused on continuing to build an inclusive, mutually supportive and diverse culture. These shared principles create the critical foundation for the work that lies ahead.

I’ll close for now by again sharing my gratitude for your dedication to our shared missions, and I look forward to our work together in the coming year.

Warmly,

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences
Executive Dean, School of Medicine

Date: February 22, 2023
Subject: Urology Leadership Announcement

Dear MedStar Health and Georgetown University Colleagues,

We are very pleased to announce that Dr. Keith Kowalczyk has been named Physician Executive Director, MedStar Washington Urology Service Line and Chief of Service, Department of Urology, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital; and promoted to Academic Chair, Georgetown University School of Medicine.

Dr. Kowalczyk has been serving in the above roles in an interim capacity since August 2021. He stepped into these roles with vigor and enthusiasm and quickly demonstrated the skills needed to be effective in clinical and academic leadership.

Dr. Kowalczyk earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame and medical degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine. He did his general surgery internship at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. Dr. Kowalczyk completed his Urology Residency at Georgetown University Hospital/Washington Hospital Center, which included training and research experience at the National Cancer Institute, Urologic Oncology Branch. He then went on to complete a one-year fellowship in minimally invasive urologic oncology and health services research at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, in Boston.

Dr. Kowalczyk returned to Georgetown where he is a practicing urologic oncologist, associate professor at GUSOM, and director of Urologic Oncology in the Department of Urology, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. He serves MGUH as an active member of the OR Safety Committee and Chairs the Robotic Surgery Steering Committee. Dr. Kowalczyk is at the forefront of advancing robotic prostatectomy techniques which has led to multiple visiting professorships to include the MD Anderson Cancer Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, National Cancer Institute, University of Colorado, and Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. He has recently been appointed to the Surgical Innovation Advisory Board for the MedStar Center for Surgical Innovation and became an NCI-funded investigator with an R01 grant to further study prostate cancer treatment outcomes.

Dr. Kowalczyk is a productive academician and surgical innovator. He is a primary or co-investigator on a number of research projects, has more than 60 publications and 25 abstracts, and serves as a journal reviewer for 11 publications.

Dr. Kowalczyk will continue to provide expert, patient-first care and continue educating the next generation of clinicians while expanding on the build out of Urology at MedStar Health and Georgetown University School of Medicine.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Keith Kowalczyk on his promotion and new leadership roles.

Sincerely,

Ed Woo, MD
President, MedStar Medical Group

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences, Georgetown University Medical Center
Executive Dean of the School of Medicine, Georgetown University Medical Center

Michael Sachtleben
Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Washington Region, MedStar Health
President, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital

Date: February 3, 2023
Subject: Dahlgren Memorial Library Update

Dear Members of the GUMC Community,

I write today to share information about a change in the organizational structure involving Dahlgren Memorial Library (DML) within our medical center.

As you may know, the mission of DML is to support research, education and patient care as the central repository of knowledge for students, faculty and staff at the School of Medicine, School of Nursing, School of Health and the Biomedical Graduate Education program. It also serves as the primary on-campus study space for health sciences students.

To better reflect its breadth and depth of priorities and interests in service to the entire medical center, DML and its staff, led by Jett McCann, MLS, CKM, DM/AHIP, have become part of GUMC’s central administration, effective February 1. DML was previously a component of the School of Medicine. This shift will not impact services currently available to students, faculty and staff.

Founded in 1912, DML is one of 157 academic health sciences libraries in North America. Prior to the pandemic, the library averaged more than 1,600 visitors to each day. DML is staffed by 11 academic and administrative professionals (AAP), four additional full-time support staff, and approximately 11 part-time student workers.

Starting in 2007, the library began an aggressive shift to remove print materials and replace them with electronic access to journals, books, databases and research tools. Over 88,000 outdated and little-used books were removed. Today, the library has more than 13,000 e-journal subscriptions, 5,800 e-book subscriptions, 142 health sciences databases, 26 e-point of care tools, and 19 medical apps available. Stacks space on two of the library’s four floors has been converted to student study rooms and the second floor was remodeled into an innovative, open-concept Team Based Learning Center, where 200+ students can work together on health and medical coursework.

We are grateful to Jett for his leadership of DML, and to the library’s staff/AAPs who are dedicated to the stewardship our students’ intellectual journey.

Sincerely,

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences

Date: January 27, 2023
Subject: Support and Solidarity During a Difficult Time

Dear Members of the GUMC Community,

Over the last several days, many of us have been deeply impacted by the very difficult developments out of Memphis regarding the January 7th brutal beating and subsequent death of Tyre Nichols at the hands of five police officers following a traffic stop.

Today, we expect this situation to grow even more grim as officials release video of the incident later this evening. Like many of you, we find ourselves truly concerned about the images that we’ll see and their impact on our community. Those in Mr. Nichols’ family who have seen the video described the images as “horrific.” The Memphis police chief has described the incident as a “failing of humanity.”

We condemn police brutality and violence perpetrated by those in positions of power.

It is not lost on us that today we remember another scourge of inhumanity in our world with the commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day — we will forever remember. Today’s deadly attack in Jerusalem adds to the unspeakable violence we’ve witnessed in these difficult and painful last couple of weeks including the revelations around Mr. Nichols’ death, the mass shootings in California, the deadly activity in the West Bank, and the ongoing war in Ukraine.

These examples of inhumanity underscore how important and fundamental our collective work is toward creating a better community and world that reflects our Jesuit values. We commend our community members, who through actions in the classroom, at service sites and beyond, advocate for and actively pursue social justice by promoting the value and dignity of all people. Your contributions are critical to creating the world we seek.

In closing, we’d like to remind you that Georgetown’s Every Hoya Cares website (new window) includes information about mental and emotional health and well-being resources for students, faculty and staff (on- and off-campus). There is guidance for those who need immediate help for themselves or someone they know, and information about virtual counseling for students. Please seek support as needed. If you are a student and feel you or someone you know is in crisis over this weekend, you can call the CAPS phone number (202-687-6985) to reach a crisis counselor.

Standing together,

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences

Lee Jones, MD
Dean for Medical Education, School of Medicine

Christopher J. King, PhD, MHSc
Dean, School of Health

Anna T. Riegel, PhD
Interim Vice President, Biomedical Education and Research

Roberta Waite, EdD, PMHCNS, RN, MSN
Dean, School of Nursing

Louis M. Weiner, MD
Director, Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center

Date: January 22, 2023
Subject: Support for Our Community Following the Mass Shooting in California

Dear Members of the GUMC Community,

On Saturday, I received a draft copy of our GUMC Update newsletter. At the top was a graphic and a joyful message extending wishes of “great fortune and prosperity” for our colleagues celebrating the Lunar New Year, a major holiday in many Asian communities that begins today. In just a few short hours, much has changed.  This morning, we learned the sad news of a deadly mass shooting in Monterey Park, California at a celebration on the eve of this holiday – stoking fear in the Asian community and snuffing out the joy and happiness at this special time of year.

We denounce violence of any kind and stand with our Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community during this difficult time. Though the motive of the shooting is not known, this attack may leave many in our community feeling deeply saddened, vulnerable and afraid. I’d like to share information that might be helpful:

• Recognize that Anti-Asian xenophobia and racism may negatively affect your physical and mental health. Additionally, you may experience difficulty concentrating, worry about your safety, decreased self-esteem, irritability with others and temporary lack of interest in your day-to-day activities. We encourage students, faculty and staff to access medical and mental health support as needed. Please reach out to CAPS and the Faculty & Staff Assistance Program.
• Connect with those you trust. Social support is critical, and expressing concern about how you are being affected can be clarifying and energizing.
• Seek assistance from campus departments including the Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and IDEAA.

In closing, Georgetown’s Every Hoya Cares website includes additional information about mental and emotional health and well-being resources for students, faculty and staff (on- and off-campus). There is guidance for those who need immediate help for themselves or someone they know, and information about virtual counseling for students. Please seek support as needed.

Standing together,

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences

On behalf of:
Lee Jones, MD
Dean for Medical Education, School of Medicine

Christopher J. King, PhD, MHSc
Dean, School of Health

Anna T. Riegel, PhD
Interim Vice President, Biomedical Education and Research

Roberta Waite, EdD, PMHCNS, RN, MSN
Dean, School of Nursing

Date: December 28, 2022
Subject: MedDent Flood

Dear Members of the GUMC Community,

I hope you had a very happy holiday season with friends and family, and that the time away from work is allowing for a restful break.  I apologize for sending this email while we’re still closed, but I feel it is important to share with you information about a significant flooding event that occurred in the MedDent Building. 

During the frigid day on December 25, a high-pressure water pipe in MedDent burst, flooding the first and second floors of the northeast wing, with the third floor experiencing a more limited water event. Even though it was Christmas, a company specializing in flood clean up brought in dozens of workers to remove the water and debris, and to begin the mitigation process. There will be several phases of clean up, mitigation and repairs that are expected to last for several weeks. Several offices and labs are not usable, and we have, and will continue to, communicate directly with those occupants.

Our leadership team is working with numerous Georgetown offices to manage this process including facilities, the office of environmental health & safety, and UIS.  In addition, the GU Police Department is providing additional security in the area. We ask that you avoid the MedDent Building if possible until further notice while clean up continues. We will have more information for those affected about how to report loss of equipment, supplies, etc. in the coming days and will communicate that directly. 

We apologize for the tremendous disruption this has created for many of our colleagues. We will continue to provide updates via our weekly GUMC Update newsletter (including an update in the issue scheduled for Monday evening) or via email as more timely messages are warranted. We are committed to resolving each of the problems caused by this flood as soon as possible, and we will provide frequent updates to keep you well informed.

I didn’t anticipate this would be my first message to our community ahead of the new year. However, notwithstanding this very challenging event, I am looking forward to continuing our important work together this semester. I also look forward to gathering soon for our next community meeting.

Warm regards,

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences

Date: December 16, 2022
Subject: Recording of Pres. DeGioia’s Reflections/Community Meeting

Dear Members of the GUMC Community,

Thank you for joining us Tuesday, Nov. 29 for the GUMC Community Meeting with President DeGioia.  I appreciated all of you who attended in person—it was very nice to be together again.  I’m also grateful to those of you who tuned in via Zoom. We apologize for the significant technical issues that prevented you from hearing President DeGioia’s talk.

Our technical issues also prevented us from recording the presentation.  I write today to share that President DeGioia has re-recorded his reflections shared at the community meeting. You can find a link to it on our Community Meetings webpage. You will be asked for your NetID and password to access the site. We hope you’ll carve out a little time to listen to his vision about the path ahead for the sciences at Georgetown.  In addition, I am providing a link to my written remarks delivered at the beginning of the community meeting.  We will continue to have the opportunity to engage on this topic and to answer questions in multiple forums (GUMC Caucus, Research Committee meetings, Staff/AAP meetings) across the medical center.

We anticipate scheduling a community meeting early in the new year with a focus on our wellbeing. I look forward to seeing you again there. In the meantime, I hope you have a wonderful holiday and a happy new year.

Yours truly,

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences

Date: November 21, 2022
Subject: Standing With Our Community Against Acts of Hate

Dear Members of the GUMC Community,

In the last couple of hours, we received a message from the university about a disturbing report of a swastika painted on the public sidewalk near the intersection of Reservoir Road and 38th Street this morning.  I join others in condemning antisemitism in all its forms and stand with our Jewish community who repeatedly endure acts of hate.

Like many of you, I am deeply troubled by the rise in the expression of hate in this country. Over the weekend, we learned about an LGBTQ night club shooting in Colorado Springs that left 5 innocent people dead and many others injured. This afternoon, the suspect was charged with murder and also faces hate crime charges. The pain of this event was compounded as the shooting coincided with Trans Awareness Week and a day before Transgender Day of Remembrance. I stand in solidarity with our LGBTQ+ community as we process this horrible crime.

Our shared pain is certainly not dulled by the increased frequency of hateful acts that can undermine wellbeing by raising feelings of hopelessness, anxiety and/or fear. We remain committed to the work underway in our own community to foster an inclusive culture of acceptance and belonging through continued education, reflection and dialogue. Though only a microcosm, I hope our collective work can be a bright light in this time of darkness.

Georgetown provides services to support our students, faculty and staff. If you are in need of assistance processing current events, Georgetown’s Every Hoya Cares website includes information about mental and emotional health and well-being resources for students, faculty and staff (on- and off-campus). There is guidance for those who need immediate help for themselves or someone they know, and information about virtual counseling for students.

Thanksgiving is only a few days away. I hope our community finds this time restful and restorative.

Yours truly,

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences

Date: November 8, 2022
Subject: Announcing New Administrative Leadership

Dear Members of the GUMC Community,

I’m writing to share information about two exciting administrative changes that strengthen our Medical Center’s overarching framework to better support the virtuous cycle of the interaction between our graduate education programs and research across our entire campus.

Effective immediately, I have asked Anna Tate Riegel, PhD, to serve as Interim Vice President for Biomedical Education and Research, and Moshe Levi, MD, to serve as the Medical Center’s Chief Science Officer for Research Development. These appointments and their titles reflect our growing structure at GUMC — including the addition of two new schools.

This renewed commitment to a structure that better links education and research is consistent with the focus of our medical center goals and is reinforced by some of the recent planning and strengthening of that connectivity including the large number of training grants we now have, the fully funded MD/PhD program, and to some degree, the faculty cluster recruitments. An additional rationale for this new framework is the critical imperative to strengthen our focus on and expand research development.

To that end, the Clinical Operations Office, Research Development Services, Office of Sponsored Research and Shared Resources will align with Dr. Riegel’s new role. Dr. Levi will work closely with the Office of the Senior Vice President for Research & Chief Technology Officer.

Since summer, we have engaged numerous faculty colleagues and other constituencies in order to hear feedback on these plans including the advisory committee formed when we first named an interim dean for research, the Research Committee leadership (past and present), basic science chairs, caucus leadership, a select group of clinical chairs, MedStar Health leadership, and leaders across our university including the senior vice president of research, the provost and the president. We heard broad, unanimous support and helpful suggestions for the importance and the possibilities this change could offer.

I am most grateful that our first discussion at the Research Committee in September concluded with a resolution supporting this realignment. We look forward to additional discussions — including with Dr. Riegel and Dr. Levi — to hear additional recommendations from faculty and staff about the support structure for these two roles.

I’d also like to extend my gratitude to the staff who are responsible for the outstanding leadership and support of critical aspects of our research and education enterprise including those in the Office of Sponsor Research, Office of Research Development, Office of Research Oversight, Clinical Research Operations, the IRB and BGE programs.

Please join me in supporting Dr. Levi and Dr. Riegel as we further develop these two important roles aimed to better position the Medical Center as we move forward with the various strategy exercises now underway.

In this weekend’s GUMC Update, you can read more about some of the early ideas that both Dr. Levi and Dr. Riegel have on how best to shape the vision of these areas.  We will update you in the near future about the support structure for these roles at concussion of additional GUMC engagement.

I’d like to express my deepest appreciation to both of our leaders for their work over the last few years that has truly positioned us well for this moment.  Thank you.

Yours truly, 

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences

Date: October 26, 2022
Subject: Standing with Our Community Against Antisemitism/Denouncing Hate Speech

Dear Members of the GUMC Community:

When an internationally recognized, cultural influencer – also known for controversial and hateful speech – uses an enormous megaphone to spew racist rhetoric, we ask ourselves: “Do we respond given the perpetrator?”

Our answer is anytime a community feels targeted, stressed and unsafe, it is best to turn our attention away from who said what and focus on the people being harmed.

Those in our Jewish community, in particular, are feeling the brunt of the most recent hate speech by this person, particularly as the media coverage around these incidents has escalated over the last 48 hours. Regrettably, this incident is not isolated. According to the Anti-Defamation League, which tracts antisemitic behavior nationwide, antisemitism incidents hit an all-time record high in 2021.

We denounce the hate speech and the false claims leading to hate groups and conspiracy theorists leveraging the remarks made – further amplifying the hurt and fear in our Jewish, as well as Black, communities. We stand with those in our community who are feeling unsafe and experiencing deep hurt.

As you know, the midterm elections are now less than two weeks away. We expect to hear more difficult comments and speech as the political rhetoric heats up. During this challenging time, we encourage everyone to lean into our shared values of acceptance and care for all, of community in diversity and our civic commitment of seeking the common good.

Georgetown provides services to support our students, faculty and staff. If you are in need of assistance processing current events, Georgetown’s Every Hoya Cares website includes information about mental and emotional health and well-being resources for students, faculty and staff. There is guidance for those who need immediate help for themselves or someone they know, and information about virtual counseling for students.

Sincerely,

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President, Health Sciences
Executive Dean, School of Medicine

Lee Jones, MD
Dean for Medical Education, School of Medicine

Christopher J. King, PhD, MHSc
Dean, School of Health

Anna T. Riegel, PhD
Senior Associate Dean, Biomedical Graduate Education

Roberta Waite, EdD, PMHCNS, RN, MSN
Dean, School of Nursing

Date: October 13, 2022
Subject: Support for Our Community and the People of Iran

Dear Members of the GUMC Community,

In mid-September, the world first learned the story of a 22-year-old Kurdish woman who died while in custody in Iran. The ‘morality police’ arrested Mahsa Amini for not wearing her hijab as instructed by the government. Her death stands as a deeply disturbing reminder that many in our world – especially women – face challenges and severe consequences when exercising basic, fundamental freedoms.

It has been nearly four weeks since Ms. Amini’s death. Today, people throughout the world continue to protest against the oppressive regime in Iran, however it is the undeniably courageous women, men — and even children — inside Iran who face the greatest danger by raising their voices. They risk their lives each and every day in defiance of Iran’s leaders and the armed security forces — determined to silence protestors with bullets and beatings. The devastating images seen in the news and on social media leave no other conclusion except that people are dying to be free.

We stand with those in our community enduring the difficult emotions that come with watching these horrors play out from afar. Georgetown provides services to support our students, faculty and staff, and while important to include those here, I wish to encourage anyone who knows someone impacted by the violence in Iran to reach out to them. Your acknowledgement of current events and words of support will mean so much.

If you are in need of assistance processing these events, Georgetown’s Every Hoya Cares website includes information about mental and emotional health and well-being resources for students, faculty and staff. There is guidance for those who need immediate help for themselves or someone they know, and information about virtual counseling for students.

All the best,

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President, Health Sciences
Executive Dean, School of Medicine

Lee Jones, MD
Dean for Medical Education, School of Medicine

Christopher J. King, PhD, MHSc
Dean, School of Health

Anna T. Riegel, PhD
Senior Associate Dean, Biomedical Graduate Education

Roberta Waite, EdD, PMHCNS, RN, MSN
Dean, School of Nursing

Date: August 16, 2022
Subject: The Academic Year Ahead

Welcome to the 2022-2023 academic year — a year beginning in a way in which we’re more familiar with in-person courses and a more robust presence in general on campus. Clearly the continuing risks of Covid-19 remain and monkeypox is now a public health concern — it seems we are becoming more accustomed to living in a shifting pandemic world.

When assembling the topics to share with you in this letter, I knew right away this would be a bit long — we have many exciting activities and updates to report that reflect the tremendous amount of excellent work in which this community has been engaged — as we have said many times, thriving despite the challenges of the pandemic, not just surviving. A common thread that runs through all of this work is collaboration and achievement.

I will end this letter by sharing some reflections about the recent Supreme Court decisions and include resources for the difficult discussions expected in the classroom and elsewhere.

Let’s begin with an historic moment at Georgetown.

School of Health and School of Nursing Launch

We are entering the first academic year for the School of Nursing and School of Health. In July, Georgetown launched the two news schools on our Medical Center campus. As I said in my letter on July 1, the launch of the School of Nursing, led by Dean Roberta Waite, fully restores our clinical and academic focus on one of the most trusted and important professions in the world at a time of great need. With our School of Health, led by Dean Christopher King, we have committed to training professionals whose work and academic contributions will deeply impact health and health care delivery across many important domains domestically and globally. The launch of these schools also accomplishes important initial goals of the Health Sciences Strategy Initiative, centered on how best to build on the strong foundation created by the School of Nursing & Health Studies. The work that reflects Georgetown’s continuing commitment to health forges on with a task force led by Dr. King and Prof. David Edelstein to imagine the design of an even broader School of Health.

The energy within and around these new schools has been palpable on our campus and beyond — including among 700+ online nursing students across the country who represent an important part of our community.

School of Medicine

Dean Lee Jones begins his second year leading the education of our future physicians. During his first year, Dr. Jones began addressing one of our most challenging issues — disparities in grading. Soon, we will begin additional work examining our honor societies and assisting with goals and objectives brought forward by the Racial Justice Committee for Change (I’ll have more on that work in a moment). His leadership focused on these issues and many others has set a high level of expectation for our faculty and staff to more deeply examine the status quo and make changes that reflect our values and our future academic goals.

We welcomed our newest School of Medicine class to the Hilltop on August 3rd. I’m very pleased to see a continuation of more diversity in our classes than in years past — a welcome trend that demands our continued focus and effort. This year’s class also carried forth a new tradition during the White Coat Ceremony last week that underscores the growing diversity of our community. As usual, the medical students recited in unison the Oath of Hippocrates, but now, the oath is read again in multiple languages.

Biomedical Graduate Education

When Dean Anna Riegel took on the role of leading our BGE programs, one of her stated goals was to strengthen the critical connection between education and research, which can truly accelerate progress in the lab and enrich our biomedical education programs. At a research center like ours, that is most effectively achieved through highly competitive, federally-funded training grants allowing the recruitment of the best and brightest trainees. Just this summer, we received our 10th training grant, a milestone that more than doubles this portfolio in under three years. In addition, the leadership of Dr. Riegel, Dr. Caleb McKinney and their colleagues has helped facilitate the development of new and strong education collaborations within our Medical Center and across the university. Of note is our Georgetown University Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (GU IMSD) training grant, which reflects our institutional commitment to diversity and scientific workforce development. Dr. Riegel’s vision has been significant on this front, and acquiring these important grants reflects the exceptional work of our committed faculty — a critical part of the training equation. Well done. And additional important development — the decision to fully fund our MD/PhD program — will increase our competitive position and the possibility of achieving NIH funding for this important segment of our PhD programs.

Research Accomplishments

The strength of our faculty also is represented by our robust growth in research funding. This past year, we set a new watermark for grant funding — reaching $147.2 million, besting FY2021 by $4.3 million. Among our grants this year was a $43 million award from USAID to support HIV/AIDS work being conducted by faculty and staff in the Center for Global Health Practice and Impact. This and the many other grants across each of our research domains are a wonderful reflection of the quality of research conducted on our campus in addition to the hard work of our faculty and research support staff in securing them.

Over these past couple of years, we have been fortunate to benefit from the engagement of highly regarded science and scientists through the Dean’s Seminar Series. We are grateful to Dean Moshe Levi for his dedication to ensuring our faculty and trainees benefit from a high level of speakers. It was following one of these lectures that faculty members identified the promise of 3D printing in research. Their advocacy led to the recruitment of a leader in this expertise, Dr. Stella Alimperti, who just joined us at the start of this month — an example of the impact of the seminar series.

Research Planning

In the year ahead, we will continue with renovation planning in the Basic Science Building. This initial step in our facility master plan is underway as we work toward modernizing our lab space. Another exciting effort is our “cluster hires” — the recruitment of tenure-line faculty conducting basic, translational, clinical and population research that aligns with the Medical Center’s affirmed priority areas. As previously announced, our first cluster hires will be built around “Integrative Approaches to Neuroplasticity Across the Lifespan.” Following bias reduction training, the recruitment committee for this cluster is ready to review applications as they arrive this fall. The application period ends later this year and we will plan to update you when we have news to share.

Simultaneously, we are beginning cancer-specific faculty recruitment that will reflect the cluster hire approach — seeking cancer-focused researchers who will have their primary appointments in various departments and disciplines.

Much of this work is intertwined with our Health Sciences Strategy Initiative. We are grateful for all who have contributed important insights over this past year including our Medical Center faculty caucus led by Dr. George Luta and the research committee led by Dr. Patrick Forcelli and Dr. Peter Turkeltaub. (Dr. Turkeltaub has rotated off the committee for this coming year; Dr. Elissa Newport now joins Dr. Forcelli.) I look forward to meeting with the research committee to continue the discussion about our research planning and the HSSI in the coming weeks.

Anti-Racism, Racial Justice and Diversity and Inclusion Work

Work across the medical center to address structural racism and bias continues to be a high priority and has taken on many forms led by many groups. Over the past 18 months, our academic chairs have been working with the Office of Faculty and Academic Affairs and the School of Medicine’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to develop department-based equity, inclusion and diversity plans. We will explore these plans at an upcoming chairs retreat in the fall. I’d like to extend my gratitude to Dr. Kristi Graves, Dean Susan Cheng, and Karen Walters for their significant contributions and leadership on this work. Simultaneously, the Subcommittee on Diversity and Inclusion (FDI), organized under the Faculty Development Committee, continues with its very important work under the new leadership of Drs. Jason Tilan, Luz Sanchez Romero, and Tawara Goode, and with a focus on recommendations from its 2021 report, developed under the outstanding leadership of Dr. Jessica Jones and Dr. Edilma Yearwood. Meanwhile, the Racial Justice Committee for Change began its third year of work, led again by Dr. Michelle Roett and by a new faculty co-chair, Dr. Nathan Nair. Dr. Tamika Auguste completed two years of service as a co-chair, and I am tremendously grateful for her tireless effort. The student co-chairs for this year are Mia Jenkins (M’23) and Victor Cox (M’24). I remain deeply committed to and supportive of this work and am greatly appreciative of the important leadership of the co-chairs, faculty, staff and students who are shouldering the weight of this incredibly important initiative.

Cancer Center Support Grant

Our colleagues at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, led by Dr. Louis Weiner, are about nine months away from submitting the Cancer Center Support Grant. Dr. Weiner and our colleagues at the cancer center have been working steadily to prepare this enormously comprehensive grant application, but in these final months, work will become even more intense. I would like to extend my gratitude to all those who continue to dedicate so much of their time to completing this task.

By the way, congratulations to our cancer center colleagues for their important contributions that helped MedStar Georgetown University Hospital to be ranked among the top 50 in the nation for cancer care in US News & World Report.

Finally, this fall brings the launch of BellRinger, a bike ride to support the work at Georgetown Lombardi. If you haven’t signed up yet, consider joining Team Hoya by signing up online here.

Community Workforce

As is the case in many sectors of our economy, there are many open positions at our Medical Center. As we know, the national workforce challenges also have had an impact on jobs of all types including those typically coveted in academic medical centers. This and other factors have put an increased burden on many faculty and staff who are called upon to do more for longer periods of time. Even when we truly enjoy our work, there is a need for work-life balance. We continue to work with our University’s leadership to identify strategies to enhance recruitment. I wish to express my sincere appreciation for all of you who are carrying an extra load at this time.

Thank you!

Difficult Discussions

Finally, I end on the topic that has dominated national and local conversations for the last several of months. As a result of a cluster of recent Supreme Court rulings, we are experiencing a profound shift in the framework of the social contract within which we live and work, receive and provide health care and how we teach our students. The legal construct that provides the rationale for these rulings may lead to subsequent opinions that will continue re-shaping some of our fundamental rights, including the impact of our vote. The consequences of these rulings will have differential impacts by race, gender and economic status that raise fundamental social justice issues. And the Supreme Court’s decision on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade, has deepened the fissures already present in our society.

It can be challenging to speak and write on a topic that has two deeply entrenched sides — especially when each side feels there is only one side. And so for many in our community there are deep concerns, and feelings of uncertainty, anxiety or anger. This moment may lead to action and advocacy, reflection and seeking common ground.

At these times in our community, it is important to remember our common values, seeking the common good across challenging issues, tolerance, and mutual support.

We also anticipate difficult conversations. Our colleagues at CNDLS have assembled this webpage containing guidance and thoughtful resources for having difficult discussions. The information includes tips and a list of helpful resources for faculty who wish to find constructive ways to engage students, as well faculty members wanting to be more prepared when challenging topics come up.

In addition, our medical center colleague, Dr. Myles Sheehan, SJ, a Jesuit priest who leads our Pellegrino Center for Clinical Bioethics, has provided a piece for us on “Ignatian Insights on Difficult Conversations.” We are grateful to have this guidance to help find and maintain a more gracious approach toward those with whom we disagree. As he writes, “Difficult conversations and Jesuit education go hand in hand.”

Finally, I wish to remind everyone of our policy on Speech and Expression as the framework for our community discourse. The policy reads in part: “It is Georgetown University’s policy to provide all members of the University community, including faculty, students, and staff, the broadest possible latitude to speak, write, listen, challenge, and learn.”

Against this background, we strive to create a respectful and inclusive environment at Georgetown. It is incumbent upon us to maintain our shared community values including civility in discussions of challenging topics reflecting our Jesuit values.

In Closing

As promised — a long and multifaceted letter reflecting many positive changes at our medical center. We have a full year ahead of us, with exciting opportunities and ambitious goals driven by a shared desire to make deep and lasting change as we strive to create a fully inclusive environment for employees and learners. I very much look forward to the work ahead. Welcome back, and I hope you have a wonderful year.

Yours truly,

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences
Executive Dean, Georgetown University School of Medicine

Date: July 1, 2022
Subject: An Historic Day at Georgetown

Dear Members of the GUMC Community:

What an exciting day as we mark an historic moment at Georgetown University with the launch of two new schools on our Medical Center campus: the School of Nursing and the School of Health. The significance of this moment cannot be overstated given the formation, inquiry and discovery that will be carried forward by the schools’ dedicated faculty and staff, and because of the unbound potential held by the professionals who will emerge from these schools.

The launch of the School of Nursing fully restores our focus on one of the most trusted professions in the world. With our School of Health, we have committed to training professionals whose work will deeply impact health and health care delivery in a myriad of ways. In both schools, our learners will be educated and guided by our Jesuit values of social justice and health equity at the forefront, and in the spirit of cura personalis.

The launch of these schools also accomplishes important goals amplified through the Health Sciences Strategy Initiative, and is consistent with the spirit and framework that emerged from our initial engagement around how best to leverage the strong foundation built by the School of Nursing & Health Studies.

I would like to express my deep appreciation to our committed faculty and staff for their disciplined and focused work and support in preparation for this day, while maintaining the important focus on their students’ educational experiences. Thank you. I am also deeply grateful to Carole Roan Gresenz and John Monahan whose leadership of the School of Nursing & Health Studies over the last couple of years was critical during our transition period.

Please be on the lookout for a Special Edition GUMC Update later this morning that will include a video message from President DeGioia, stories about our schools and other important information as we mark this exciting day.

Finally, please join me in supporting Deans Roberta Waite and Christopher King, and our colleagues at these two new schools, as they take the lead at this most important moment in decades at our Medical Center.

All the best,

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences
Executive Dean, Georgetown University School of Medicine

Date: May 25, 2022
Subject: A Message from Edward Healton on the Elementary School Shooting

Dear Members of the GUMC Community,

There are simply no words to adequately express the deep sadness and horror of yesterday’s murder of 19 fourth grade children in their elementary school classroom – struck down by a man with a gun designed to kill. These children and two teachers, along with the 10 victims in the Buffalo race-related shooting and the killing of Dr. John Cheng, a Georgetown NHS preceptor, at a church in California, are some of the 38,000 people killed each year by gun violence.

As we know, gun violence remains one of the most urgent public health challenges for our country with a deeply disturbing impact on survivors — especially children. The Washington Post has been tracking children exposed to gun violence during school hours since the Columbine High School massacre in 1999. As of today, the count stands at more than 311,000 children at 331 schools.

As part of his work in our community, child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr. Matthew Biel is deeply engaged in exploring the long-term impact of toxic stress on children and how to help them build resiliency.  Dr. Biel is a professor of psychiatry at Georgetown University School of Medicine and is vice chair and chief of child and adolescent psychiatry at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital.

He has offered some helpful guidance for members of our community who care for young children and are wondering how to comfort and reassure them. We hope you find this information from Dr. Biel helpful:

• Parents should talk to their children about this event — the ubiquity of news coverage about the event and the ready access of children to social media and other forms of digital media mean that children will learn about this tragedy, and it is preferable for children to learn from their parents in a manner that is developmentally appropriate.
• Parents should present the basic facts of what happened and give space for children to ask questions.  Answer the questions honestly and directly and in an age-appropriate manner.  It’s very reasonable to say “I don’t know” — for example, if children ask, “Why did this happen?”
• Children will weather these events best if the adults in their lives are able to manage their own emotional reactions. Parents can express their own feelings of shock and sadness to their children, but do so in a controlled and measured way.  Parents should share their deeper, rawer feelings with their significant other, family, or friends. Try to maintain composure and calm with children.  If parents are experiencing ongoing feelings of intense sadness, grief or other emotional distress, seek professional support. 
• While these events happen all too often and have affected thousands of children across the country over the last two decades, parents need to remember that schools are generally very safe places, and that schools and communities can work together to optimize the safety of their children.
• The sense of exhaustion and terror is normal for adults, but our kids don’t necessarily have that same cumulative exhaustion and terror as us — they weren’t here for Sandy Hook.

For additional information on how to talk to children about tragic events, Dr. Biel suggest exploring the Child Mind Institute website. In addition, Georgetown’s Every Hoya Cares website includes information about mental and emotional health and well-being resources for students, faculty and staff.

I wish you the very best,

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences
Executive Dean, Georgetown University School of Medicine

Date: May 15, 2022
Subject: Special Message: Commencement, and Hope for the Future

Dear Members of Our GUMC Community:

The end of each academic year brings great joy and wonderful celebrations with our friends and family as we mark the outstanding achievement and success of our learners. But our message today comes against the backdrop of yet another despicable act of racism carried out against a community of color. The hate-driven violence in Buffalo this past weekend gives even greater purpose for us to stand in solidarity against all forms of racism.

Throughout the Georgetown educational journey, we are guided by Jesuit values that help shape the hearts and minds of our learners — cura personalis, or care for each person as the individual they are; care for the community; service to others; contemplative action; creating for the greater good; and Magis — going beyond expectation. As we bid farewell to those of you who are graduating this week, we are again reminded of the great hope we have in you to continue fostering these values as you help build the communities we imagine — those with peace and well-being, equity for all, and good health.

The human tragedy in Buffalo was driven by racism and white supremacy. The sadness and anger reverberate well beyond that New York community and reaches into all our hearts. If you are in need of assistance processing these events, Georgetown’s Every Hoya Cares website includes information about mental and emotional health and well-being resources for students, faculty and staff.

Perhaps one way to honor the victims is to proudly celebrate our students’ achievements, because we are confident that those graduating from Georgetown this week will make a positive impact on the lives and communities they touch.

With best wishes,

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President, Health Sciences
Executive Dean, School of Medicine

Lee Jones, MD
Dean for Medical Education, School of Medicine

Christopher J. King, PhD, MHSc
Dean-Select, School of Health

John T. Monahan, JD
Interim Dean, School of Nursing & Health Studies

Anna T. Riegel, PhD
Senior Associate Dean, Biomedical Graduate Education

Roberta Waite, EdD, PMHCNS, RN, MSN
Dean-Select, School of Nursing

Date: May 11, 2022
Subject: Establishment of Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Prevention at Georgetown Lombardi

Dear Members of the GUMC Community,

We are pleased  to share exciting news about the establishment of the Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Prevention at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center made possible by a $25 million commitment from the Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation to support cancer care and prevention programs at 5 National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers.

Building on the successful work of our Capital Breast Care Center in Southeast Washington, the renamed Ralph Lauren Center allows us to expand our work and service to address health disparities in cancer detection, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention with an emphasis on breast, prostate, colorectal, and lung cancers. The Ralph Lauren Center aims to improve health outcomes for underserved communities by amplifying evidence-based interventions, enhancing care provided, and creating new opportunities to coordinate with others invested in this important work.

Over 30 years ago, Ralph Lauren’s pioneering vision to fight cancer through the creation of the Nina Hyde Center for Breast Cancer Research at Georgetown Lombardi has led to tremendous progress in breast cancer research and care. This new collaboration between the Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation and Georgetown, under the direction of Dr. Lucile Adams-Campbell,  deepens our commitment to the underserved populations in our nation’s capital, meaningfully advancing our fight to dismantle systemic barriers to care and eradicate cancer.

We are deeply grateful to have the ongoing support of the Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation.

With best wishes,

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences
Executive Dean, Georgetown University School of Medicine

Louis M. Weiner, MD
Director, Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center

Date: February 3, 2022
Subject: Acts of Hate

Dear Members of the GUMC Community,

This week has brought disturbing events to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) across our nation. Bomb threats made to many HBCUs including two in our community — Howard University and the University of the District of Columbia — have disquieted and terrorized people of color in our country and disrupted a very fundamental activity — the pursuit of education — while undermining the sense of safety and security.

These important institutions house our friends and colleagues who are fellow educators, researchers and students. We denounce such acts of hate and the harm these threats have caused. Over the last 24 hours, the five of us have reached out to our counterparts at Howard and UDC to extend our warm wishes for peace and healing. We invite you to join in doing the same if you have the opportunity.

Regrettably, this isn’t the only act of hate that has been carried out in our city in recent days. Last week, swastikas were spray painted on columns at Union Station, a day after the world marked International Holocaust Remembrance Day. This display of hate is painful on any day.

These abhorrent actions serve to remind us that we have much work to do in this country to root out racism and bigotry. Our values require all of us at Georgetown to be leaders in this work and to embrace the quest for a more inclusive community.

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences
Executive Dean, Georgetown University School of Medicine

Elliott Crooke, PhD
Senior Associate Dean
Faculty and Academic Affairs

Lee Jones, MD
Dean for Medical Education
Georgetown University School of Medicine

John Monahan, JD
Interim Dean
School of Nursing & Health Studies

Anna T Riegel, PhD
Senior Associate Dean
Biomedical Graduate Education

Date: January 21, 2022
Subject: Exemption Request for In-person Teaching/Spring 2022

Dear GUMC Faculty Colleagues:

As we near the end of the COVID-19 pandemic’s second year, I remain grateful for the hard work our faculty have undertaken to ensure the successful achievement of our education mission. Once again, you have demonstrated your commitment to our students with your creative and nimble adaptation to virtual instruction for these first few weeks of the spring semester.

As President DeGioia announced earlier, we plan to resume in-person courses on January 31, 2022. On that date, all Medical Center campus faculty members are expected to shift their teaching to on-campus in-person instruction.

Faculty members who believe they may have experienced recent extraordinary circumstances can request permission to teach up to two weeks of their spring 2022 course(s) in a remote format. In rare ex traordinary personal circumstances, with appropriate supporting evidence, an individual may seek and/or be granted an exemption for the entire semester. To teach remotely for the period beginning January 31, this request must be made following consultation with their department Chair or Program Director and by submitting this form by 5:00 pm on Tuesday, January 25, 2022. Should extraordinary circumstances arise later in the semester, requests for remote teaching may be made, as warranted, by contacting your Dean for further information.

A faculty member requesting an exemption from the required return to campus as a legally recognized reasonable accommodation (e.g., medical or religious) should complete a request through the Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Affirmative Action (“IDEAA”). You may request such an accommodation from IDEAA by applying here . Faculty members approved by IDEAA to teach remotely in Fall 2021 who wish to seek approval for Spring 2022 must send an email to ideaa@georgetown.edu to initiate a request for accommodation for Spring 2022.

If the request for exemption falls outside of legally recognized categories for accommodation, e.g., involving the extraordinary health conditions of a household member, it will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the program/school’s Dean (i.e., NHS, SOM, or BGE), after consultation with the department/unit head.  The Dean will make a recommendation to the Senior Associate Dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs, who will come to a decision following consultation with a faculty advisory committee composed of three Caucus-appointed members of the GUMC Task Force on Exceptions. Appeals of the Senior Associate Dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs’ decision can be made to the Executive Vice President for Health Sciences (EVP); the EVP’s decision will be final.

Requests are unlikely to be successful based on a desire to live outside the area (either in the US or internationally), commuting concerns / issues with the time a course is scheduled, concerns related to unvaccinated children or other unvaccinated family members, and disagreement with the campus public health requirements. As with fall semester, we expect that the number of exceptions granted will be low.

Requests are not necessary when:

• The faculty member is in isolation or quarantine;
• The course is fully remote or hybrid in the Spring 2022 Schedule of Classes;
• The course was delivered in a fully remote format prior to March 2020;
• A faculty member wishes to deliver < 10% of meetings online for courses scheduled as in-person;
• If a faculty member will be online for one week, for a variety of reasons related to their teaching, they do not need to seek permission via the form noted above, but should contact their department chair or program director.

We are grateful for the Faculty Caucus’ review and endorsement of this faculty policy. Best wishes for continued success for the upcoming academic year.

Sincerely,

Edward B. Healton, M.D., MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences

Date: December 22, 2021
Subject: Update: Faculty “Cluster” Hires Initiative

Dear GUMC Faculty,

I’m very pleased to share an update on our initiative focusing on “cluster” hires that reflect interdisciplinary/interdepartmental collaboration aligned by a unifying theme — a strategic approach for strengthening our health sciences at GUMC. The overarching goal of this initiative is to position GUMC more competitively as we recruit top scientists while also complementing and amplifying our existing research strengths.

As a quick refresher, the overall goal of the effort is to recruit new tenure-line faculty conducting basic, translational, clinical and population research that aligns with the Medical Center’s affirmed priority areas. Beyond the area of research, our recruitment priority will focus on interdisciplinary “cluster” hires, allowing us to recruit investigators who can significantly contribute to or lead cross-disciplinary integrative research in collaboration across Georgetown and MedStar Health.

With this in mind, in early autumn, through a request for proposals, we invited those interested to submit a plan for a potential thematic cluster: We received several outstanding proposals.

A group of your dedicated colleagues diligently and thoughtfully reviewed each proposal — in a system of review akin to an extramural study section process. The top recommendations were forwarded to me, and I have reviewed with relevant academic department chairs to begin getting input as we begin the actual unified recruitment process.

I’m pleased to announce our first cluster hires will be built around a comprehensive proposal titled “Integrative Approaches to Neuroplasticity Across the Lifespan” put forward by Max Riesenhuber, Mark Burns, Marta Catalfamo and Ming Tan. The proposal spans potential hires in numerous academic departments, aims to build upon the work in 10 named centers at GUMC, and aligns with two of our GUMC affirmed priority areas: mind and brain, and age and age-related diseases.

In addition to the strong scientific merits of the proposal, it also aligns with our deep and very important medical center-wide commitment to being leaders toward achieving racial justice — specifically inclusion and diversity. The authors of the proposal describe the proposed cluster to be a vehicle towards creating a more inclusive culture of excellence at GUMC through faculty recruitments and through the nature of the research to be conducted, noting “the history of racism in the study and treatment of neurologic disorders, and the damage caused by treating race as a biological rather than a social construct. In addition, the effects of racism and other forms of oppression on brain development and plasticity … have only recently been recognized and are still vastly understudied, despite their relevance.”

I’d like to thank all our faculty who submitted thoughtful proposals. Even though not selected, these proposals provide a great opportunity to inform our future strategic thinking, and I highly encourage these teams to resubmit when we issue the next request for proposals in early 2022. Finally, I wish to express my gratitude for our colleagues who spent a generous amount of time reviewing the proposals. I’m especially grateful to Patrick Forcelli and Jason Umans for their leadership on this faculty-developed and engaged process. I’d also like to thank review committee members for their support and dedication to this work.

Wishing you all the best,

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences
Executive Dean, Georgetown University School of Medicine

Date: December 15, 2021
Subject: Announcing Dr. Roberta Waite as Dean of the School of Nursing

Dear Members of the GUMC Community,

On Wednesday, President DeGioia made the exciting announcement about the selection of Dr. Roberta Waite as our dean to lead the School of Nursing when it launches this summer.

Dr. Waite is an exceptional nurse leader with an unwavering dedication to educating future health care providers, ones who are grounded in values that align with our Catholic, Jesuit heritage with a particular focus on social justice. Dr. Waite is an accomplished academic scholar who conducts grant-funded clinical research with numerous scholarly publications. In talking to some of her colleagues, I learned of her exceptional skills as an educator and mentor.

Dr. Waite has established herself as a highly regarded leader at her current institution, Drexel University, and in the Philadelphia community she serves — she is an experienced clinician recognized for her dedicated leadership at a highly successful and impactful community health center in the city.

I am especially excited that we will benefit from her lifelong commitment — reflected in action — in support of racial justice, equity, inclusion and diversity. We are truly fortunate to have her leadership at this critical and energizing time on our Medical Center campus as we continue to advance our anti-racism and racial justice work.

We will welcome Dr. Waite to our campus in May as professor of nursing — she will assume the dean role July 1.  Until then, I invite you to meet Dr. Waite through the story and video in this newsletter. 

Welcome Dr. Waite!

All the best,

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences
Executive Dean, Georgetown University School of Medicine

Date: December 14, 2021
Subject: Sad News: Rev. Salvador “Sal” Jordan, S.J.

Dear Members of the GUMC Community,

It is with great sadness that I share the news that Rev. Salvador “Sal” Jordan, S.J., former chaplain at both Georgetown University Medical Center and MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, died peacefully on Saturday, December 11, in the care of his Jesuit brothers at Manresa Hall in Philadelphia.  He was 79.

“Fr. Sal,” as he was commonly known on our campus, served as a chaplain at Georgetown University Hospital from 1985 through 1993. As a registered nurse with training in psychology, he started one of the hospital’s first support groups for patients with AIDS.

During the height of the epidemic, some clergy were afraid to enter the hospital rooms of those being treated with AIDS because of the unknowns about the disease, but not Fr. Sal. He was committed to supporting patients and their families. I have heard wonderful examples of his genuine care for his fellow humans including one in which he accompanied a dying patient home for Thanksgiving to help him reconcile with his family, who then asked him to be with them at the patient’s bedside when he died a month later.

He also organized an annual remembrance mass in the hospital’s chapel which included a reading of the names of the patients lost to AIDS.

Fr. Sal began serving as medical center chaplain in August 2010 and was instrumental in honoring the humanity of the cadavers that first-year medical students worked with in their gross anatomy course. He began the practice of having students engage with the donors’ families and supported the founding of the donor mass to celebrate their wonderful gifts. Through his work, Fr. Sal ensured that the students’ experiences with these very first “patients” were not only educational but meaningful.

Born in Puerto Rico, Fr. Sal grew up in Forestville, Md., and attended Gonzaga High School in Washington, D.C., before joining the Jesuits community in Wernersville, Penn. He became a Jesuit brother in 1961 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1977. First trained as a baker, Fr. Sal baked all of the bread and desserts for the 240 seminarians at the Wernersville novitiate with the late Fr. Rick Curry, S.J.

Through his ministry, Fr. Sal modeled dedication to service and a commitment to honoring the humanity and dignity of others. To his many friends and colleagues at Georgetown, please accept my condolences for your loss. Details about his memorial service will be shared after the new year.

Sincerely yours,

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences
Executive Dean, Georgetown University School of Medicine

Date: December 10, 2021
Subject: GUMC Faculty Ombudsperson

Dear GUMC Faculty,

I’m very pleased to announce the establishment of a new and important position at Georgetown University Medical Center — the faculty ombudsperson. After a call for applications and a review process led by the Office of Faculty and Academic Affairs, your inaugural ombudsperson will be Bassem R. Haddad, MD.

The faculty ombudsperson provides an informal, impartial, independent, and confidential environment where faculty can discuss workplace concerns and disputes and seek solutions. The ombudsperson does not advocate for any individual point of view, and does not participate in any formal grievance process – instead promoting a fair process for all. The ombudsperson acts as a source of information and referral and assists in the informal resolution of concerns and critical situations. In considering any given instance or concern, the point of view of all parties that might be involved are taken into account.

As part of our commitment to his success during his 3-year term, Dr. Haddad has received professional ombudsperson training and is a member of the International Ombudsman Association.

Dr. Haddad joined the Georgetown faculty in 1995 and has shown a deep commitment to academic excellence with demonstrated leadership characteristics and abilities.

A tenured professor of oncology, and obstetrics and gynecology and member of the MAGIS Society of Master Teachers, Dr. Haddad demonstrated his interest in innovative teaching approaches through the development of the Medical Center’s first massive open online course (MOOC) on genomic medicine in 2014. Since then, thousands of students from over 160 countries have taken the course. Dr. Haddad also co-directs the second-year medical school Medical Genetics Intersession. In addition, his commitment to our community includes his role as a co-chair of the Subcommittee on Evaluation and Assessment, and a member of the Committee on Medical Education, Committee on Students, and Committee on Appointments and Promotions. He also holds leadership roles within our Shared Resources at the medical center, including chairing the Shared Resources Oversight Committee.

In addition to his work as an educator, Haddad has an active molecular cytogenetics research laboratory focused on translational research and biomarker discovery. His research focuses on understanding the genetic aberrations and instability that occur in genetic diseases, particularly cancer.

Dr. Haddad received his MD and residency training in obstetrics and gynecology from the American University of Beirut, and completed his fellowship training in molecular cytogenetics at Boston University School of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, and the National Institutes of Health.

Please join me in welcoming Dr. Haddad to this role. He will begin his work on January 1, 2022. If you would like to reach out to him, he can be reached at haddadb1@georgetown.edu.

Best,

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences
Executive Dean, Georgetown University School of Medicine

Date: October 18, 2021
Subject: COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement for Visitors

Dear Members of the Georgetown University Community,

As part of Georgetown’s layered approach to protecting the health and safety of our community, and in recognition that with the colder weather more events will be held inside, we are introducing a new protocol for visitors. Visitors to University-owned or operated buildings in Washington, DC, and Maryland must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or attest to having a medical or religious exemption. Beginning Monday, October 25, visitors will need to follow the University’s protocol for verifying their vaccination status, which is outlined below, and complete a health attestation on the morning of their visit to attest that they are symptom-free. Visitors will also need to continue to comply with all other University public health guidelines, including wearing a mask indoors.

COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement
This new protocol applies to anyone visiting University-owned or operated buildings for a class, meeting or event who is not already subject to the University’s COVID-19 vaccination requirement for students, faculty, staff and contractors who work regularly on campus.

Examples of individuals who fall under this new requirement include:

• Event/meeting attendees,
• Guest speakers or panelists in academic classes or programs or other events,
• Visiting research scholars,
• Family members and friends of Georgetown community members,
• Prospective students and their families,
• Alumni, and
• Contractors and vendors who do not work regularly on campus.

However, there are a few exceptions to this protocol, including:

• Visitors attending an event that will be entirely outdoors (such as athletic games held at Cooper Field and Shaw Field),
• Study participants visiting Georgetown for research purposes,
• Clients of Law Center clinics,
• Delivery drivers, and
• Visitors entering a public University-owned or operated building for a short period of time (e.g., to use the restroom, or go to the bookstore or dining locations in the Leavey Center).

Yates Field House, the Scott K. Ginsburg Sport & Fitness Center and all Georgetown University libraries will continue to be closed to external community members and guests through at least December 2021. Access to Main Campus residential buildings will continue to be limited to Georgetown students and employees at this time.

Visitor Registration Process
Students, faculty and staff hosting visitors will need to follow the protocol below:

1. Create an event/meeting record through the University’s visitor registration portal. This step should be completed as soon as an event or meeting is confirmed to allow visitors as much time as possible to upload vaccination documentation or attest to a medical or religious exemption. The portal is live now, and all visitors for events or meetings occurring on or after Monday, October 25, will need to follow this process.
2. Send your visitor(s) the unique URL (i.e., web link) for your event/meeting and instructions on how to submit their vaccination documentation, which you will receive via email after you create an event/meeting record in the portal.
3. Your visitor(s) will then use the URL to upload their vaccination documentation or attest to having a medical or religious exemption.
   1. Visitors who attest to having an exemption or who are under the age of 12 will need to take a COVID-19 PCR test within 72 hours prior to their visit and provide their negative test results to the University.
   2. Please note that our academic campuses may have differing policies regarding allowing visitors under the age of 12. Please check with your campus or unit head to confirm if visitors under the age of 12 are allowed in your area.
4. Your visitor(s) will receive an email with their health attestation the morning of your event/meeting and must complete it before their visit.
   1. If they are symptom free, they will receive an email confirming they are approved to visit Georgetown.
   2. If they indicate they have symptoms or do not submit their negative test results (if they attested to having an exemption), they will receive an email stating that they are not permitted to visit Georgetown.
5. Make sure your visitor(s) have been approved to visit Georgetown in one of the following ways.
   1. Review the list in the event-specific Box folder you will be given access to when you create your event/meeting record. This list will show you whether your visitor(s) have completed the necessary steps to visit campus, but will not show personal information about them such as their vaccination documentation.
   2. Before providing access to a University-owned or operated building, ask to see your visitor’s confirmation email when they arrive for your event. 

For more information, please visit the University’s Event and Visitor Guidelines page and these frequently asked questions.

Thank you for your continued commitment to keeping our community safe and healthy.

Sincerely,
David B. Green, Interim Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

Robert M. Groves, Provost

Edward B. Healton, Executive Vice President for Health Sciences

William M. Treanor, Executive Vice President and Dean of the Law Center

Date: September 21, 2021
Subject: Welcoming John Monahan and Our Gratitude to Carole Roan Gresenz

Dear Members of the GUMC Community:

Earlier this afternoon, President DeGioia announced that John T. Monahan, JD, senior advisor for global health at Georgetown and a longtime Georgetown colleague, will serve as interim dean for the School of Nursing & Health Studies when Carole Roan Gresenz, PhD, steps down this weekend after her remarkable leadership over the last two years. I’ll say more about Carole later in this message.

As President DeGioia outlined, John has decades of experience in public service and has held multiple executive appointments across three different presidential administrations. In several leadership roles within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, he focused on the design, implementation and oversight of federal programs such as Medicaid, as well as improvements to the overall impact and delivery of health policies and services at national, state and local levels.

John will bring his vast experience and skill in managing and navigating complex organizations to NHS during its critical time of transformation. You’ll recall, in late 2020, President DeGioia announced a plan for NHS to transition to a School of Health and a School of Nursing next year. Planning for both schools is well underway, and John has been deeply engaged in the planning for the School of Health.

Some of you may know John from the work he led with NHS several years ago when he launched the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law as its founding director. He has also been deeply engaged in leading our university-wide Global Health Initiative.

John is a collaborative and humble leader who welcomes the input of those he serves and serves with. I’d like to share with you a passage that John wrote in a letter to the NHS community today affirming his commitment to our shared Georgetown values. He wrote: “On a personal note, NHS’s mission, vision and values resonate strongly with me, especially the underlying commitment to social justice through the education of our students; research that changes practice and policy; and service to our local, national, and global communities.”

Given John’s reputation and experience in public service and academia, his selection as interim dean further underscores the university’s commitment to this final academic year at NHS and to the planning for the new schools. He embodies the ideals and qualities that NHS faculty and staff shared with me, through meetings and messages, that they felt would be helpful in an interim dean, and I am grateful for their important input.

As we extend a warm welcome to John, I’d like to express my profound appreciation for Carole. When she agreed to pause her research to lead NHS, none of us had any idea how remarkably challenging higher education — or life — would become. Throughout the pandemic, Carole led NHS with clarity and confidence when the unknowns often felt so overwhelming. Simply put, she is one of the most impressive leaders I’ve worked with.

Carole will return to the NHS faculty on Sept. 27 as a tenured full professor in the school’s Department of Health Systems Administration, where she holds the Bette Jacobs Endowed Professorship. She will continue her research as a health economist working on projects including examining early stage Alzheimer’s disease and financial well-being, aggressive versus conservative treatment of low-risk prostate cancer, the effectiveness of an innovative school-based dental care delivery model in high-need communities, and how social media data can be used to help inform gun policy.

I’m especially pleased that Carole’s role with GUMC, and the university as a whole, will deepen as President DeGioia has asked her to serve as a special advisor for our health and health sciences strategy work as it continues.

Please join me in extending our deep appreciation for Carole’s past and ongoing service and in welcoming John to NHS.

All the best,

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences
Executive Dean, Georgetown University School of Medicine

Date: August 29, 2021
Subject: Tragic Events in Afghanistan

Dear GUMC Community Members:

Like many of you, I find it extremely challenging to process the dark and deeply disturbing events continuing to unfold in Afghanistan — particularly the tragedy this past week. We’ve learned that 13 U.S. service members were killed and more than a dozen wounded in a terrorist attack just outside of the airport in Kabul as they worked to evacuate Americans and those who are vulnerable. The blast and subsequent shooting also ended the lives of nearly 200 Afghans, and many others have been wounded and traumatized. The lives of so many families here and abroad have been forever changed.

It’s really hard to imagine how much worse the situation there can get — many of us fear that peace and respect for our fellow humans, especially for women and girls, is out of reach.

I wish to express my solidarity and shared grief with our community members who are directly or indirectly impacted by these tragic events. And once again, I’d like to extend my appreciation for the members of our community who serve or have served in the armed forces. Yesterday, this family, in particular, was hit hard.

As the deans and I shared in a message about Afghanistan on Aug. 13, we may find it helpful as a caring community to collectively rededicate ourselves to serving others in the Jesuit spirit of cura personalis. And as a reminder, here are some ways to support others and be supported during this time.

For those who wish to support relief efforts through monetary donations, the Center for Social Justice Research, Teaching & Service has worked with a network of Catholic, Jesuit, and mission-based partners to identify several organizations serving the affected regions.

In addition, please take advantage of support resources available to you. Students, faculty, and staff can find a full range of mental well-being resources on Georgetown’s Every Hoya Cares webpage. In addition, information about religious services and student groups can be found on the Campus Ministry webpage.

There is much joy on our campus this month as students come to Georgetown to pursue their dreams… the way they wish… and in a place they chose to be. It is a special freedom and privilege made abundantly clear this week.

My best wishes,

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences
Executive Dean, Georgetown University School of Medicine

Date: August 23, 2021
Subject: Sad News About Alex Dromerick

Dear GUMC Community:

I write with deep sadness to share that our friend and colleague Alexander W. Dromerick, MD, died Saturday at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. Alex was chair of GUMC’s Rehabilitation Medicine Department and vice president for research at MedStar National Rehabilitation Network (NRH).

Alex’s legacy will undoubtedly be his passion for improving the lives of his patients — achieved through his tireless work as clinician, devoted researcher and inspiring medical educator. A professor of rehabilitation medicine and neurology, Alex skillfully used his leadership positions to create and grow clinical research and educational collaborations spanning our two institutions and beyond to focus on brain recovery and restoration of motor function after stroke, traumatic brain injury, and limb loss. An enduring example of this work was his co-leadership and strong collaboration with Elissa Newport, PhD, to launch the Center for Brain Plasticity and Recovery, a joint enterprise between Georgetown University and MedStar NRH.

Alex had been leading several NIH-funded clinical studies. He was principal investigator for the Stroke Central Atlantic Network for Research, a part of NIH StrokeNet and the only national StrokeNet site at a rehabilitation hospital. He was co-principal investigator of the NINDS-funded I-CARE trial, a phase III trial to improve arm recovery after stroke. He was also co-Principal Investigator of the NINDS-funded PROTECT DC phase II clinical trial, aimed at reducing recurrent stroke in urban underserved individuals.

Alex’s mission was to accelerate research beyond incremental changes to improve the lives of individuals with stroke. One of his most significant contributions will be the CPASS trial, a phase II, randomized clinical study to determine the optimal time after stroke for intensive motor training. The results will be published soon in a manuscript in press with PNAS, and the outcome has the potential to shape the future of stroke rehabilitation for function of the hand and arm.

Alex was also a research scientist at the Washington DC Veterans Affairs Medical Center where he conducted studies to improve prosthetic arm function in veterans and to improve the battlefield screening for traumatic brain injury, funded by the Veteran’s Administration and the Department of Defense.

The care Alex gave patients was always informed by research — an approach he passed on to others through his NIH K12 training and career development grant with Barbara Bregman, PT, PhD. She noted that Alex was dedicated to fostering the next generation of clinician scientists and that his work as a medical educator launched the careers of many of today’s senior level leaders in stroke rehabilitation.

As a leader in neurorehabilitation, Alex held several leadership roles at national organizations and had been serving on the American Heart Association National Advisory Committee. His dedication to research and teaching was recognized by numerous awards. Alex completed medical school at University of Maryland, did his residency at University of Pennsylvania and completed his fellowship at Penn and at Princeton University.

As you may know Alex had been dealing with a systemic illness for many months. During this trying time, he and his wife Laurie demonstrated remarkable resilience and courage, persevering through challenge after challenge, and he was able to return home in the weeks before his death. In addition to Laurie, Alex is survived by Laurie’s children, Michael and Emma, who were beloved by Alex. We will keep the family in our thoughts and prayers and share information about his memorial service when the details are finalized.

Sincerely,

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences
Executive Dean, Georgetown University School of Medicine

Date: August 18, 2021
Subject: Support for This Challenging Time

Dear Members of the GUMC Community:

It’s hard to imagine a more troubling situation than the one unfolding on the world stage in Afghanistan. Yet with all the anguish, the deep fear and the dire predictions, the situation in Afghanistan is, sadly, only one humanitarian crisis occurring in our world at present. 

Haiti, ravaged by a large earthquake and a major storm only weeks after the political unrest in the wake of their president’s assassination, is burying thousands of its citizens.  Meanwhile, people in Lebanon struggle to find food and the devastating war in Yemen drags on.

Undoubtedly, what has made these past few days more difficult to process are the searing images and stories seen and heard in the media from Afghanistan.

We write today to voice our support for all those who are directly or indirectly impacted by these tragic events. We also want to recognize the contributions that many on our campus have made toward improving the lives of those in Haiti and Afghanistan.

Today in Haiti, a team of Georgetown personnel from GUMC’s Center for Global Health Practice and Impact, led by the Haiti program director, Nancy Rachel Labbe Coq, MD, MSc, remains in country and focused on their critical work to support those with HIV/AIDS. The team members are safe and doing well, and are eager to continue their important mission. Here at home, pediatrics professor Phyllis Magrab, PhD, co-chair of the U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council, has been actively engaged over the last several days helping women and their families who now face great uncertainty in Afghanistan.  It is difficult to witness the reversal of her hard work with an organization that had made great strides toward getting more girls in school and helped decrease maternal mortality and infant morbidity.

These are only two examples of ways we are connected to the world around us. There are numerous examples of people all around us doing extraordinary things – their stories untold.

With the tragedy in Afghanistan, we want to send our gratitude to the service members and their families in our community.  We are deeply grateful to people such as Marine Corps reservist and current medical student, Owen Sisbarro, MS (M’23), who served in Afghanistan in 2010. Mr. Sisbarro’s wife and son are also active military members. Also, we honor Army National Guard reservist and NHS data management coordinator Winston Jackson Jr. We salute the sacrifices our military families have made to keep us safe at home and those safe in areas where they serve.

How to Support and Be Supported

During this difficult time, we may find it helpful as a caring community to collectively rededicate ourselves to serving others in the Jesuit spirit of cura personalis.

For those who who wish to support disaster relief efforts through monetary donations, the Center for Social Justice Research, Teaching & Service has worked with a network of Catholic, Jesuit, and mission-based partners to identify several organizations serving the affected regions. 

In addition, please take advantage of support resources available to you. Students, faculty, and staff can find a full range of mental well-being resources on Georgetown’s Every Hoya Cares webpage. In addition, information about religious services and student groups can be found on the Campus Ministry webpage.

Finally, all are welcome to join us for a GUMC Community Open Space on Friday at 3:00 pm ET via Zoom. We will be joined by students, faculty, staff, representatives from campus ministry, and members of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace, Security and the US-Afghan Women’s Council.

Warmly,

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences
Executive Dean, Georgetown University School of Medicine

Carole Roan Gresenz, PhD
Interim Dean
School of Nursing & Health Studies

Lee Jones, MD
Dean for Medical Education
Georgetown University School of Medicine

Anna T. Riegel, PhD
Senior Associate Dean
Biomedical Graduate Education

Date: July 30, 2021
Subject: GUMC Fall 2021 Exception Policy for Faculty

Dear Faculty Colleagues:

All Medical Center faculty members are expected to return to campus in Fall 2021. If a special circumstance prevents faculty members from returning to campus to teach in-person, they may request permission to teach in a fully remote format. This request must be made following consultation with your department Chair. If you wish to request an exemption from either in-person teaching or returning to campus for the Fall semester, please submit this form by August 6, 2021. 

If your request for accommodation falls within the scope of legally recognized accommodations (e.g., personal health or religious), you will be referred to the Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Affirmative Action (“IDEAA”) to complete a request (for information about this process, please view this page). 

If your request for accommodation falls outside of the scope of legally recognized accommodations, it will be reviewed by your school’s Dean (i.e., NHS, SOM, or BGE), after consultation with the department/unit head.  The Dean will make a recommendation to the Senior Associate Dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs, who will come to a decision following consultation with a faculty advisory committee composed of three Caucus-appointed members of the GUMC Fall Semester 2021 Task Force on Exceptions.  Appeals of the Senior Associate Dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs decision can be made to the Executive Vice President for Health Sciences (EVP); the EVP’s decision will be final.

Requests are not necessary for courses that are already approved to be taught fully remote or hybrid; courses that were delivered in fully remote or hybrid format prior to March 2020; or in-person courses for which the instructor wishes to deliver < 10% of the meetings online.

Requests for exceptions based on a desire to live outside the area (either in the US or internationally), commuting concerns, issues with the time a course is scheduled, or disagreement with the campus public health requirements are unlikely to be successful.

We expect that the number of approvals for exemptions from in-person teaching which fall outside of IDEAA will be very low, and granted only for the most compelling reasons.

We are grateful for the Faculty Caucus’s review and endorsement of this faculty policy. Best wishes for preparations for the upcoming academic year.

Sincerely,

Edward B. Healton, M.D., MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences

Date: June 8, 2021
Subject: Sharing Sad News—Dr. Martin Iguchi

Dear Members of the GUMC Community:

I write this afternoon to share sad news about the death of Martin Iguchi, PhD, the former dean of the School of Nursing & Health Studies. I’m sharing a message from Carole Gresenz, PhD, NHS interim dean with more information. Many in our community worked closely with Dean Iguchi and valued him as a colleague and a friend.  We share in your sadness and extend our warmest wishes to you and to his family at this difficult time.

I wish you all the best,

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences
Executive Dean, Georgetown University School of Medicine

Date: May 26, 2021
Subject: Faculty and Staff Opportunity: Seeking Applications for the Bias Reduction and Improvement Coaching Program

Dear Members of the GUMC community:

At this time that marks the one year anniversary of the murder of George Floyd, we are writing to re-affirm our commitment to racial justice and anti-racism. Over the past several years, we have invested considerable efforts in unconscious bias awareness, training and development across GUMC. Today we are writing to announce the application period has opened for the second cohort of the GUMC Bias Reduction and Improvement Coaching (BRIC) program.

The goal of BRIC is to mitigate the impacts of unconscious bias, as this bias affects recruitment, selection, cultivation, promotions and advancement of employees at GUMC. The BRIC program is a train-the-trainer professional development opportunity for a diverse cohort of faculty and staff. The focus of the program is based on the science and impact of unconscious bias and use of best practices for how to mitigate the effect of bias in our workplace and culture.

Using evidence-based approaches, these workshops will explore the science and fundamentals of unconscious bias and bias mitigation, and delve into specific ways that departments can identify and address opportunities and challenges. The training topics include recruiting and hiring, team dynamics and workplace culture, and career development, mentoring, promotions, retention. We also will address ways to confront structural racism and how to be advocates of racial justice.

Up to 30 coaches who are faculty and staff members from GUMC will be recruited for the second cohort of the program, which is a two-year commitment. These representatives will come from departments across GUMC, Georgetown University and MedStar and will be identified in various ways.

To learn more about BRIC, including the requirements and benefits of being trained as a coach, please visit our BRIC webpage or attend one of our upcoming virtual information sessions on June 9, June 30, and July 22. RSVP for the Virtual Open House today! Read more about the experiences of our first cohort.

The BRIC program will begin this September. Applications are due by July 30, 2021!

GUMC is proud to be a leader in using this train-the-training approach at Georgetown University. We would like to encourage you to consider taking part in the program.  If you have questions, please email the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Sincerely,

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences
Executive Dean, Georgetown University School of Medicine

Susan M. Cheng, Ed.L.D., MPP
Senior Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion
Title IX Coordinator, School of Medicine
Assistant Professor, Department of Family Medicine

Kristi D. Graves, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Oncology
Associate Dean for Faculty Development
Georgetown University Medical Center

Date: May 14, 2021
Subject: Honoring Our Values in the Face of Middle East Violence

Dear Members of Our GUMC Community:

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is occurring thousands of miles away, but many of us here at home are experiencing renewed pain, fear and deep anguish that comes with the vivid images of death and destruction. What we hear and see is heart wrenching and disturbing. It is particularly devastating for those in our community who are connected by heritage to the region.

This darkness comes as our Muslim friends marked the end of Ramadan with Eid al-Fitr, and as our Jewish friends prepare for Shavuot. At times like this, I acknowledge that words are not likely to alleviate difficult feelings or change personal experiences, but collectively as a community, our actions and intentions can have meaning.

While those around us may come to this time in history from different perspectives, we can embrace what inextricably links us — our shared values. We choose to work and learn together at Georgetown University because we value the dignity of each person, the pursuit of social justice, actions that achieve common good and service to others.

Please take advantage of resources available to you. Students, faculty, and staff can find a full range of mental well-being resources on this Georgetown webpage. In addition, information about religious services and student groups can be found on the Campus Ministry webpage.

As we navigate this tumultuous time, I encourage each of you to reach out to one another in support, to find empathy among differences, to yield to compassion, and to continue to honor our values.

Wishing you the very best.

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences
Executive Dean, Georgetown University School of Medicine

Date: April 29, 2021
Subject: A Message from Edward Healton, Executive Dean, SOM

Dear Class of 2021,

It is with great joy that I write today at the start of our Commencement celebrations, to express my very best wishes and congratulations to a very special class. What an amazing group of future physicians you are! I have had the great personal pleasure of working with many of you over the past year after I took on the duties of dean for medical education. For those whom I didn’t meet, I’ve heard great things all around.

The unique narrative about this class defines your character and represents the very best of Georgetown. It was around this time last year when the COVID-19 pandemic tightened its grip on our city and country, and thrust our medical community into a full-on emergency. You were benched from clinical duties, but with the exceptional adaptability that is characteristic of your class, you still found other important ways to make a difference during a very difficult time. Some of you volunteered to provide child care for doctors, nurses and other health care providers so that they could carry on the critical work of saving lives. The idea was remarkable, brave, generous and truly impactful. At the same time, amidst reports of shortages of PPE, other students set up a Med Supply Drive asking for PPE donations from laboratories or others who didn’t need the boxes of masks and gloves tucked away on shelves for later use. The effort founded by your colleagues went viral and international. By the first of this year, the group had collected more than 1 million pieces of PPE. They continue their efforts today in order to help colleagues in India as the COVID-19 crisis there worsens.

Your willingness to step up in service to others is on display again now. Since January, and as recent as this past week, dozens of you have volunteered to administer COVID-19 vaccines – an effort that most certainly directly impacts the trajectory of this insidious pandemic.

Any one of these acts of kindness and service would be admirable – they all represent a highly motivated and caring group which animate Georgetown’s values.

But it is the student-driven racial justice movement at Georgetown — inspiring and motivating real change on our campus — that has left me in awe. I feel my words will fall short of expressing the great admiration I possess for your thoughtful and consequential work. I’m so grateful to you for standing your ground, for bravely shining a light inward, for your wisdom and for contributing your time and talents — giving voice to a cause that will continue to be our most important priority at our Medical Center, and in our country. You are the very best of Georgetown!

Your contributions toward making both Georgetown and our world a better place will always define the Class of 2021. Thank you and all my very best to each of you as begin the next chapter of your medical career.

Hoya Saxa.

Yours truly,
Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences
Executive Dean, Georgetown University School of Medicine

Date: April 20, 2021
Subject: A Video Message of Support and Solidarity From Dr. Edward Healton

Dear Members of the GUMC Community:

In this video message, Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH, Executive Vice President for Health Sciences and Executive Dean of the School of Medicine, reflects on the guilty verdicts in the trial of Derek Chauvin convicted in the murder of George Floyd.

Date: April 16, 2021
Subject: Campus Cultural Climate Survey and GUMC Action

Dear Members of the GUMC Community:

Earlier today, we learned the findings of the Campus Cultural Climate Survey, released today by Georgetown’s Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity & Affirmative Action (IDEAA) and the Office of Assessment and Decision Support (OADS). The survey, conducted last Spring, measured how our students felt about their experiences at Georgetown.

When we first began thinking about this message in anticipation of the report,  Daunte Wright was alive.  The horrible video showing the police shooting of 13 year old Adam Toledo had not been shared.  It seems at every turn, and more and more frequently, we are reminded that people of color live extraordinary different experiences. There’s been no time to heal. 

These events underscore how critical it is to get our own house in order.  With that in mind, we want to discuss the Campus Cultural Climate Survey.

First, we are deeply grateful to the many GUMC students who took the time to complete this important survey. We hear you and are committed to being responsive.

It is disheartening and disturbing to learn again that so many of those, who we are responsible for educating, live vastly different experiences right here at Georgetown. Our message today is for our faculty and staff – the people at our Medical Center who, along with us, hold the power and the potential to make great and much needed change on our campus. This change can be enacted through new efforts and through deepening our work already underway. 

The survey’s findings add to what we have become increasingly aware of and attuned to over the last year as we have listened to our students, our faculty, our staff and our community more broadly, and that we have been working to address through various groups including the Racial Justice Committee for Change (RJCC), Bias Reduction and Improvement Coaching (GUMC), Minority Health Initiative Council (NHS), Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Advisory Council  (BGE), and the Working Group for Racial Justice (MedStar Health).

We — all of us — are responsible for creating a learning environment where our learners know they belong. We are responsible for their well-being. We are responsible for their safety. We are responsible for creating a community experience that is fulfilling, welcoming, nurturing and inclusive.

We have not succeeded in doing that, but we must and we will.  

So many in our community are already working hard to guide us to a better place. Along the way, we are monitoring progress, measuring outcomes and continuously striving to make changes. Additional steps need to be taken arising from the climate survey. We will build on the foundation of the ongoing efforts which include work to address what we teach and how we teach it, grading and awards, retention of our students, ensuring their success, and student well-being. If you have not taken steps to contribute to these efforts as an individual or as part of a group, we urge you to get involved now. Working collectively, we can make progress toward a culture and climate that is more inclusive and supportive. Failure to create this culture change on our campus is not an option.

We are grateful to the students, faculty and staff across our medical center who are collaborating with others in an ongoing, meaningful, evidence-based approach to effect change at our Medical Center. Embracing sincere, positive and collaborative approaches is key to addressing a truly difficult challenge.

As President DeGioia stated in his letter, “Fostering a culture of belonging is an ongoing imperative. The task for us, within our Georgetown community, is to build and sustain a culture that encourages respect, inclusion, equity, and understanding that responds to and rejects all forms of discrimination.”

We’ll continue to share more about what we’ve learned and how we’re responding as a Medical Center, and we’ll look for other opportunities at NHS, BGE and SOM to provide additional forums where we can continue to hear directly from our students including suggestions and ideas for more measurable actions.

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences
Executive Dean, Georgetown University School of Medicine

Carole Roan Gresenz, PhD
Interim Dean
School of Nursing & Health Studies

Mary A. Furlong, MD
Senior Associate Dean for Curriculum & Director Office of Medical Education
Georgetown University School of Medicine

Princy N. Kumar, MD
Senior Associate Dean of Students
Georgetown University School of Medicine

Anna T. Riegel, PhD
Senior Associate Dean
Biomedical Graduate Education

Date: April 15, 2021
Subject: Update on Fall Planning for Classrooms

Dear Georgetown Medical Center Faculty and Staff,

I’m writing with an update on fall 2021 planning — specifically related to key features of the classroom.

On Wednesday, President DeGioia announced that all students will be required to be vaccinated for COVID-19 for fall 2021 (with limited exceptions). Given this information, classroom planning will now be based on three feet versus six feet of separation for student desks/seating. In addition, the cleaning protocols will be adjusted to be consistent with new CDC guidelines. Students, faculty and staff will be expect to practice all university public health protocols.

This is welcome news as our community moves toward a more traditional learning environment, but we know there will be some large classes that might have to be partly taught in virtual mode. In addition, some faculty may need to teach in classrooms different than those they may be accustomed to. As details are finalized, I would like to express my gratitude to our SOM, BGE and NHS faculty and staff who are working to schedule courses and classrooms and who guided us in this area over the past year.

Student registration for the fall semester began this week for many of our students. We hope this will be welcome news.

Sincerely,

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences
Executive Dean, Georgetown University School of Medicine

Date: April 12, 2021
Subject: Coming Together: Processing the Death of Daunte Wright & the Chauvin Trial – GUMC Open Spaces this Week & Peace Vigil

Dear GUMC Students, Faculty, Staff:

We are currently processing the death of Daunte Wright, a Black man who was shot and killed  last night during a traffic stop in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, less than 10 miles from the courtroom where Derek Chauvin is being tried for the death of George Floyd. While details are still emerging from the tragic incident on Sunday, we acknowledge this shooting has heightened many emotions of fear and anger across the country as we are processing the death of another Black person involving law enforcement. We understand that in our own GUMC community, members may be experiencing intense emotions of grief, anger and numbness.

At GUMC we remain committed to racial justice and affirm that Black Lives Matter. We want to prioritize your wellness and that of our community during this time to process complex emotions. Please seek out help, support and spaces to connect.

Our hearts go out to the family of Daunte Wright who are mourning this tragic loss and Mr. Wright’s girlfriend, who was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries as a result of the ensuing car crash.

GUMC Open Spaces: We invite you to join for open spaces to gather as a community and process. These spaces are open to everyone to share and listen and to feel seen and heard.

• Open Space: Wednesday, April 14, 6-7 PM EST (click for zoom link)

Healing Circles Town Hall for Black Students, Faculty & Staff hosted by the GUMC Racial Justice Committee for Change

• Healing Circles Town Hall for Black Students, Faculty & Staff: Wednesday, April 21, 7-8:30 PM EST  (Click for zoom link)

GUMC Peace Vigil open to all of Georgetown

• GUMC Peace Vigil: April 23, 12-1 PM EST (click for zoom link)

GUMC Healing Meditation with Nancy Harazduk open to all of Georgetown

• Meditation: Friday, April 30, 12-1 PM EST (click for zoom link)

Resources:

To support you all, we want you to know you are not alone.

CAPS

All GUMC students can access support through CAPS or by calling the general line at: 202-687-6985. Out of state students can also access mental health resources through HoyaWell.

In addition, GUSOM students can contact Dr. Simoné Jalon, CAPS embedded psychologist, who will be holding two separate Drop-In Wellness hours for students who are needing additional support during this time. Students can connect with Dr. Jalon to process these events without an appointment during Drop-In hours listed below:

Individual Drop-in hours: Tuesday 4/13: 12-1pm: https://doxy.me/gusomcapssj
Group Drop-In hours: Friday 4/16 12-1pm: https://georgetown.zoom.us/j/95425652403

Both links will take you to Dr. Jalon’s waiting room. Because Tuesday’s drop-in hours are individual, there may be a wait of about 15-20 min while she is working with another student. She will let you know via private chat.

If you need support outside of these hours you can also email Dr. Jalon at sj787@georgetown.edu to schedule another time to meet.   

Faculty, AAPs and staff can contact the Faculty & Staff Assistance Program and prioritize wellness.

The Office of Campus Ministry offers virtual religious services and meditation. Please access the schedule to support your wellness.

Support from the Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion – GChat us!

Additionally, please let us know if the Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion can be of any assistance or support. Please do not hesitate to contact them. They are here to listen and process this with you. Please Google Chat them at:

• Susan: smc307@georgetown.edu
• Isela: im437@georgetown.edu
• Sam: sc1958@georgetown.edu
• Dave: taylordl@georgetown.edu
• Alisha: ag185@georgetown.edu

All the best,

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences
Executive Dean, Georgetown University School of Medicine

Susan M. Cheng, EdL.D., MPP
Senior Associate Dean, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Assistant Professor, Department of Family Medicine
Deputy Title IX Coordinator, School of Medicine

Mary A. Furlong, MD
Senior Associate Dean of Curriculum & Director Office of Medical Education
Georgetown University School of Medicine
Professor and Director of Medical Education
Department of Pathology

Carole Roan Gresenz, PhD
Interim Dean of the School of Nursing &Health Studies
Jacobs Endowed Professor

Anna T. Riegel, PhD
Senior Associate Dean for Biomedical Graduate Education
Cecilia Rudman Fisher Professor of Oncology and Pharmacology
Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center

Date: April 7, 2021
Subject: Mental Well-being Resources Available to You

Dear Faculty and Staff,

This year has been challenging for all of us and we remain extremely grateful for your service to our students and broader community during this time. We know many of you are juggling care for loved ones, changes in work environments and apprehension about the future.

We write to announce the launch of a public awareness campaign and online resource center called “Every Hoya Cares” for community members seeking information on resources to support their mental well-being. This comprehensive site centralizes information about the resources available to Georgetown faculty and staff, many of which are free and confidential. The online resource center can be accessed on your phone, tablet or computer.

We would like to remind you of resources available to help you start or continue your mental wellbeing journey. Faculty and staff have access to several types of counseling and talk resources including:

The Faculty and Staff Assistance Program (FSAP) remains open, free and available to help. Phone or Zoom appointments can be scheduled by emailing fsap@georgetown.edu.

Mindset offers benefits-eligible employees access to fast, convenient, confidential and free one-on-one mental health help – including therapy and/or coaching – over video appointments through One Medical, a national primary care network. Your participation in this program is confidential, and no information you share with One Medical providers will be shared with Georgetown University.

We also encourage you all to access meditation services through the University’s newly announced partnership with Calm and with the John Main Center, as well as virtual fitness classes through Campus Recreation.

We hope that you will utilize these resources and share with your colleagues and peers. A separate note has been shared with students this morning. We all have different lives and circumstances – but we are all Hoyas – and Every Hoya Cares to talk, to listen and to support each other.

Sincerely,

Geoffrey S. Chatas, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

Robert M. Groves, Provost

Edward B. Healton, Executive Vice President for Health Sciences

William M. Treanor, Executive Vice President and Dean of the Law Center

Date: March 17, 2021
Subject: Standing in Solidarity with the Asian and Asian American Community in the United States

Dear Members of the GUMC Community,

We awoke this morning to learn of the violence that occured in the Atlanta area that abruptly took the lives of 8 souls, including six people of Asian descent. While the shootings in Georgia are not being characterized by police as a hate crime at this time, these violent acts, coupled with the national rise in acts of hate and bias targeting communities of Asian descent, has caused many, once again, to feel unsafe, regardless of the shooter’s motivation.

I denounce this and all acts of violence and hate, and stand in solidarity with those deeply impacted. I join with President DeGioia who stated on Facebook today: “We are called …. to affirm our care and support for one another and to continue our work, here at Georgetown, to sustain a community that is inclusive, welcoming, and respectful of people of all backgrounds.”

Only three weeks ago, I joined Deans Riegel, Gresenz, Furlong, and Cheng to share a message of solidarity in support of our students, faculty and staff who have been impacted by hateful acts against those in Asian American, Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander communities. I am forwarding that message here so that we are reminded of the resources available during difficult times like these. In addition, the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is hosting two Open Space gatherings this week that are open to our entire GUMC community. Also, a Peace Vigil is scheduled for next week.

Here are the details:

• Open Space: Thursday, March 18, 5-6 PM EST (click for zoom link)
• Open Space: Monday, March 22, 12-1 PM EST (click for zoom link)
• Meditation & Peace Vigil: Friday, March 26, 12-1PM EST (click for zoom link)

Again, I encourage you to join us in our journey as we work to eliminate racism and to create a culture of mutual support, respect, equity and inclusion.

I wish you the very best.

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences
Executive Dean, Georgetown University School of Medicine

Date: March 4, 2021
Subject: Announcing the Dean Search for the Planned Georgetown School of Nursing and Requesting Your Input

Dear Members of the Georgetown Community:

I write to share that President DeGioia and I have appointed the search committee that will lead our efforts to recruit the dean for the planned Georgetown School of Nursing. We have asked Kathleen Maguire-Zeiss, Ph.D., Professor and Chair in the Department of Neuroscience and Director of Neuroscience Graduate Studies, to chair the search committee. The committee members are listed below.

The Search Committee will be collecting information from the community to inform its work. Our nursing faculty have already engaged in a visioning process for the School of Nursing, and we are grateful that this input will inform our search priorities.

Listening Sessions:
The Search Committee invites you to attend a (virtual) listening session next week. Please note that there are 6 sessions for specific subsets of our community, as well as 2 open sessions for any faculty members who wish to join. Information about the listening sessions can be found here. Members of the Search Committee will attend each session and are eager to hear from you.

Survey:
If you prefer, the Search Committee also welcomes input through this survey. The survey will be open until 5 pm on Friday, March 12, 2021. The Search Committee encourages responses.

President DeGioia and I charged the committee in mid-February, and the members began their work immediately. As part of its work, the committee will complete implicit bias reduction training as is required for all GUMC dean searches and faculty recruitments.

We are pleased to work with Lyn Brennan (NHS’77) of Diversified Search Group as our search consultant. Lisa Krim, J.D., Senior Advisor to the President for Faculty Relations, and Marie Mattson, Secretary of the University, will provide support for the search committee and coordinate the search process for the University.

As we begin our search for permanent leadership, we wish to express gratitude to Carole Roan Gresenz, PhD, for her ongoing service as Interim Dean of the School of Nursing & Health Studies.

Please join us in wishing all the members of the search committee well as they continue their important work.

Sincerely,

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President of Health Sciences and Executive Dean
Georgetown University Medical Center

Nursing Dean Search Committee Members

Kathleen Maguire-Zeiss, PhD, Chair
Professor and Chair
Department of Neuroscience
Professor, Department of Biology
Director of Neuroscience Graduate Studies
School of Medicine

Paul Almeida, MBA, PhD
Dean and William R. Berkley Chair
Professor of Strategy
McDonough School of Business

Scott Andrews
Associate Dean for Finance and Administration
School of Nursing & Health Studies

Heather M. Bradford, CNM, ARNP, FACNM
Assistant Program Director
Course Coordinator, NURO 510/511
Nurse Midwifery/Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner and Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner Program
School of Nursing & Health Studies

Ladan Eshkevari, PhD, CRNA, FAAN
Associate Professor
Program Director, Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice
School of Nursing & Health Studies

Margaret Harvey Granitto, PhDc, MS, ANP-BC, CNL
Instructor
Department of Professional Nursing Practice
School of Nursing & Health Studies

Mary Haras, PhD, MBA, APRN, ANP-C, CNN
Associate Professor and Chair
Department of Advanced Nursing Practice
School of Nursing & Health Studies

Eric Hutto (Class of 2022)
Doctor of Nursing Practice Student
School of Nursing & Health Studies

Yumi Shitama Jarris, MD
Professor
Department of Family Medicine
Associate Dean for Population Health and Prevention
School of Medicine

Christina X. Marea, PhD, MA, MSN, CNM
Assistant Professor
Nurse Midwifery/ WHNP Program
Department of Advanced Practice Nursing
School of Nursing & Health Studies

Roxanne Mirabal-Beltran, PhD, RN, MSN, BSN
Assistant Professor
Department of Professional Nursing Practice
School of Nursing & Health Studies

Jason Tilan, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Human Science
School of Nursing & Health Studies

Edilma Yearwood, PhD, PMHCNS-BC, FAAN
Associate Professor and Chair
Department of Professional Nursing Practice
School of Nursing & Health Studies

Date: February 25, 2021
Subject: GUMC Solidarity – Standing Against Anti-Asian Racism in the United States

Dear Members of the GUMC Community:

Hate against Asian American, Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities appears to have risen during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. In the last few months, reported hate crimes against Asians Americans and continued foment of Anti-Asian sentiment in the wake of the pandemic have spiked. For example, according to STOP AAPI Hate, a reporting site for hate incidents, 2,808 accounts of anti-Asian hate were reported in 47 states and the District of Columbia.

In our efforts to stand for racial justice, our GUMC community is united against racism and the expressions of xenophobia and racist anti-Asian sentiments that have persisted throughout the pandemic and beyond.

Historically, viral outbreaks reportedly originated in other countries have fostered biased perspectives about people assumed to be from those regions. Sadly, these expressions are part of a larger pattern of racial violence and legal exclusion. Anti-Asian rhetoric has a long history in the United States. While we’ve been exposed to inflammatory language to describe the pandemic, and experience, witness or learn about physical attacks occurring globally as well as locally, we encourage members of the GUMC community to be active participants in interrupting and denouncing this behavior if witnessed.

We understand seeing and hearing of incidences of Asians being violently assaulted in the past few weeks has left many in our community feeling vulnerable and afraid. Acknowledging these contexts, we recommend the following actions:

• Recognize that Anti-Asian xenophobia and racism may negatively affect your physical and mental health. Additionally, you may experience difficulty concentrating, worry about your safety, decreased self-esteem, irritability with others and temporary lack of interest in your day-to-day activities. We encourage students, faculty and staff to access medical and mental health supports as needed. Please reach out to CAPS and the Faculty & Staff Assistance Program.
• Connect with those you trust. Social support is critical, and expressing concern about how you are being affected can be clarifying and energizing.
• Seek assistance from campus departments including the Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and IDEAA.
• Report incidents of bias and acts of discrimination at Georgetown University.

Please join us today, Thursday February 25 at 5:30 pm EST on Zoom for a SPARK Open Space co-hosted by the Asian Pacific American Medical Association & the Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion to reflect and process issues surrounding anti-asian racism. Optional RSVP here.

Check out upcoming workshops on Bystander Intervention Training and exploring the Historical Roots of Medical Racism, Structural Inequality & Bias: The Case Studies of 1918 Influenza & COVID19 in March with our GUMC Teaching for Inclusion & Equity Series.

Resources for Addressing Coronavirus Racism:

• Teach-in Resources by Dr. Oliver Chang, Associate Professor of History and Asian American Studies at the University of Connecticut
• Stop AAPI Hate Safety Tips & bystander Interventions
• How to Support your Asian American Colleagues Amid Anti Asian Violence
• NYT Op-ed: What this Wave of Anti-Asian Violence Reveals About America

Please continue to take care of yourselves and each other, as we continue to strive for a GUMC that prioritizes racial justice and is mutually respectful, physically safe, broadly inclusive, socially connected and morally accountable. Most importantly, seek support as needed.

All the best,

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences
Executive Dean, Georgetown University School of Medicine

Susan M. Cheng, EdL.D. MPP
Senior Associate Dean, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Assistant Professor, Department of Family Medicine
Deputy Title IX Coordinator, School of Medicine   

Mary A. Furlong, MD
Senior Associate Dean of Curriculum & Director Office of Medical Education
Georgetown University School of Medicine
Professor and Director of Medical Education
Department of Pathology

Carole Roan Gresenz, Ph.D.
Senior Associate Dean of the School of Nursing and Health Studies
Jacobs Endowed Professorship in the Department of Health Systems Administration

Anna T. Riegel, PhD
Senior Associate Dean for Biomedical Graduate Education,
Cecilia Rudman Fisher Professor of Oncology and Pharmacology
Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center

Date: February 22, 2021
Subject: Racial Justice Institute and GUMC

Dear Members of the GUMC Community:

Just a short time ago, President DeGioia announced the launch of Racial Justice Institute (RJI) at Georgetown University “to facilitate partnership and collaboration and deepen the work taking place on all of our campuses and our shared commitment to the values of justice and equity.” The RJI is designed to coalesce research programs to examine racial injustices with themes focusing on disparities, inequality and difference; structures and solutions; and diasporas, migrations, and expressions.

The Medical Center is very pleased to be the academic home of one of the inaugural scholars and founding co-directors of the RJI, Derek M. Griffith, PhD, who will join the School of Nursing & Health Studies in July 2021. His addition to the Medical Center represents another important step in our pursuit of racial equity in all aspects of our work: research, education, service and patient care. In addition to his appointment as tenured professor in the department of health systems administration, he will hold a secondary appointment as professor of oncology and be a full member of the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Dr. Griffith joins us from Vanderbilt University where he is a professor of medicine, health, and society, and is founding director of the Center for Research on Men’s Health. His work is focused on analyzing poor health outcomes among men, describing variations based upon race and ethnicity, and proposing multilevel intervention strategies – particularly in cancer and heart disease. Dr. Griffith will continue this work at the RJI where he will be founder and director of its Center for Men’s Health Equity.

For Dr. Griffith, his move to Georgetown is a homecoming. Born in Washington, DC, he went to college at University of Maryland-College Park where he earned his bachelor’s in psychology and Afro-American studies. Dr. Griffith continued to pursue his interest in psychology earning his master’s and PhD in clinical-community psychology from DePaul University. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship in community-based participatory research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He has published more than 130 peer-reviewed articles.

Dr. Griffith joins Robin Lenhardt, JD, at Georgetown Law and Anita Gonzalez, PhD, in the Department of Performing Arts as founding members of the RJI. A fourth scholar will also join the RJI and be homed at the McCourt School of Public Policy.

I’d like to recognize Christopher King, PhD, who crafted the successful proposal in 2018 that led to NHS being named a host school for one of the RJI members. His vision for bringing a scholar in the field of health equity will raise the visibility and further enhance the impactful work already underway at NHS by Dr. King and his colleagues. I’m also grateful to Interim Dean Carole Roan Gresenz, PhD, who chaired the faculty search committee leading to Dr. Griffith joining us.

I invite you to meet Dr. Griffith this week when he joins President DeGioia and me at our GUMC Virtual Community Meeting this Thursday (Feb. 25) at 4:00 p.m. (via Zoom: https://georgetown.zoom.us/j/92943602171). We look forward to seeing you there. Also, I invite you to read even more about Dr. Griffith here.

We look forward to welcoming Dr. Griffith to Georgetown this summer.

All my best,

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences
Executive Dean, Georgetown University School of Medicine

Date: January 26, 2021
Subject: 2021 Priority: Racial Justice at GUMC

Dear Members of the GUMC Community:

It is perhaps an understatement to write that January got off to a rocky start, as we witnessed news coverage of the vile and criminal acts in our nation’s capital just a few miles from our campus. As I discussed in my note to the community on Jan. 8, the tension and fear in our community and for our country were palpable as our nation prepared for the inauguration of a new president. But on Wednesday — through our eventual peaceful transition of power — those fears and anxiety were met with a strong message of unity.

Notwithstanding this hopeful turn, there is clearly much work to be done in our country to heal, and so it is also important and comforting in these moments to reflect on our shared Georgetown, Jesuit values: that we honor and celebrate the uniqueness of each individual and care for that whole person; that we also care for and support each other across our community; that we seek the common good and stand in service to others; and that we embrace civic discourse and seek common ground with those with whom we disagree, but never through intimidation or violence.

These are the values that bind us, and ground us, in our work. As President DeGioia recently wrote, we, as a university, are obliged to lean into our civic commitment to seek the common good. What we do at this medical center — conducting research to alleviate disease; learning to be nurses, doctors and researchers; training health professional students; and engaging in service for others — has tangible and important consequences for improving the health of this nation and beyond. This is the common good we seek.

However, to truly seek the common good for others we must also seek it within ourselves. As we re-set our priorities for 2021, today I am reaffirming that achieving racial justice and eliminating racism at GUMC, in all its forms, is our highest priority.

To accomplish that goal, we must change our culture. Success will require much work, some of which is well underway across our campus. Just before the holiday break, there were three significant related activities that I’d like to share with you.

First, I received a detailed and actionable report from the Racial Justice Committee for Change (RJCC) — a culmination of several months of exceptionally constructive work undertaken by students, staff and faculty. As a reminder, this committee was formed last summer in response to a letter signed by more than 500 School of Medicine students addressed to GUMC administration with regard to policy and programmatic changes required for racial justice. As the students pointed out in their letter: “It is not sufficient to verbally condemn racist acts and provide statements alone…. We implore our colleagues and our institution to stand with us and be the change that is desperately needed.” Immediate actions were taken in the summer months. And while we must and will make additional organizational changes to achieve some objectives, the real change we need goes far below the surface. My expectation is that we deepen our collective commitment to the values and principles that will guide us toward racial equity. We have much work to do.

Staying with this topic, I would also like to share that, just before the holiday break, we completed our annual retreat for GUMC department chairs. In keeping with our priority to eliminate racism, the topic for this retreat was the department-focused work of racial justice, which serves to underscore how critical the chairs’ leadership roles are for the changes that we must make across our medical center. The retreat was heartening and invigorating, and the feedback reaffirming. Moving forward, the topic of racial justice will be an agenda item on every monthly chairs’ meeting as our work in this area has only started. We’re not all at the same place with the work that is needed, so we have put in motion activities to ensure that we move forward together toward racial equity.

Finally, also in December, the District of Columbia Council declared racism a public health crisis. GUMC faculty and students testified in support of this measure. In the coming weeks, we anticipate meeting with the council’s health committee to examine ways that Georgetown can contribute to alleviating the health disparities in the District that are inextricably linked to systemic racism.

Looking ahead, we have challenging but important and consequential work to complete, and as always I look forward to working closely together to achieve our goals. I will share more details of our collective work in this area at our first GUMC Community Meeting of 2021 in February. The sole topic of this meeting will be racial justice at GUMC. Please be on the lookout for more information about the meeting. I’ll be joined by students and faculty from the RJCC and other leaders across the Medical Center who are engaged in this important work. I respectfully ask that department managers please carve out time and encourage your colleagues to join us. I anticipate another community meeting in March that will have a broader agenda.

In closing, I’d like to borrow inspiration from the National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman, who many of us met the first time during the Inauguration, when she recited her poem “The Hill We Climb”:

When day comes we step out of the shade,

aflame and unafraid,

the new dawn blooms as we free it.

For there is always light,

if only we’re brave enough to see it.

If only we’re brave enough to be it.

I wish you all the best,

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences
Executive Dean, Georgetown University School of Medicine

Date: January 21, 2021
Subject: Study Spaces at DML

Dear Students,

We are pleased to announce that Biomedical Graduate Education and School of Medicine students, and graduate students at the School of Nursing & Health Studies will be eligible to use study spaces created in the Dahlgren Memorial Library (DML) on the Medical Center campus beginning on Monday, February 1.

Study spaces must be reserved and are for individual use only (i.e., no group studying is permitted). Please review the information below on how to make a reservation. Before coming to campus, you must be in compliance with the University’s public health protocols below, including COVID-19 testing. As we continue to follow DC and University public health guidance and monitor conditions on our campus and in the city, we may need to make changes to the operations of study spaces.

Please visit the DML website to find a link to the reservation system, browse available hours and reserve a study space. Study spaces will not appear in the reservation system until January 31. Study time is limited to 4 hours (consecutive booking not permitted) and must be booked 12 hours in advance. Reservations may not be made at the door.

Public Health Protocols

All students must have a green GU360 Building Access Badge and a valid reservation to enter study spaces on campus. No food or drink will be allowed in study spaces.

To get and keep a green GU360 Building Access Badge, please review the relevant Spring 2021 checklist (e.g., for new or returning residential students, or non-residential students studying on campus) and take the actions required, which include becoming a One Medical member, getting tested each week in accordance with the Georgetown University COVID-19 Testing Protocol (i.e., once per week if you are coming to campus one day a week or two consecutive days a week, or twice per week if you are coming to campus two or more non-consecutive days a week), and completing the COVID-19 Daily Check-in via the GU360 mobile app or website at least two hours before arriving on campus each day.

In addition, all students must abide by the health and safety measures outlined in the Georgetown University Community Compact while on campus, such as wearing a mask when in public or shared spaces (including in single-occupancy study rooms), practicing physical distancing and washing your hands regularly.

Please clean your study space before and after use. Cleaning supplies will be provided.

If you have any questions, please contact the appropriate resource below.

• Dahlgren Memorial Library: dml.georgetown.edu/help/ (includes live chat information)
• One Medical: 1-888-ONEMED1 (1-888-663-6331) or hello@onemedical.com
• GU360 App: Georgetown’s COVID-19 Helpline at 202-784-3510 (9 a.m.- 5 p.m. ET Monday-Friday) or email covid19-questions@georgetown.edu
• Public Health Protocols: Georgetown’s Care Navigators Team at covidcarenavigator@georgetown.edu

We understand the importance of a quiet place to study, especially given the challenges we all continue to experience during these difficult times. In addition to study spaces on our campus, we recently announced Georgetown’s partnership with WeWork to provide currently enrolled students with a WeWork All Access membership starting February 1, 2021, which allows students to book a space for studying, subject to availability, at one of its locations in more than 80 cities around the world.

Sincerely,

Edward B. Healton, Executive Vice President of Health Sciences

Jett McCann, Senior Associate Dean for Knowledge Management and Director, Dahlgren Memorial Library

Date: January 8, 2021
Subject: Condemnation of Wednesday’s Criminal Acts

Dear Members of the GUMC Community:

I had planned my first community letter of 2021 to be a hopeful message, to welcome you “back” and to extend my wishes for a better year, as 2020 fades in the rearview mirror. I also planned to take the opportunity to restate goals and commitments for our medical center community for the new year. But the urgent need to acknowledge the deeply unsettling and criminal events at our nation’s Capitol on Wednesday has overtaken that plan.

As I know so many of you would agree, it is difficult to watch the despicable activity of January 6. One immediate observation was the stark difference in the security around an event with predominantly white rioters compared to the police presence around peaceful rallies that have a focus on Black lives. Also, seeing the Confederate flag being waved around the halls of Congress and the erected noose conveyed startling and very clear messages of racism and hate.

These images have had a profoundly disturbing impact on many of our students, faculty and staff, leaving us feeling alternately angry, sad and vulnerable. We also are aware that many in our community feel unsafe — understandably so — as Washington resembled a war zone Wednesday. We join with other Georgetown leaders in supporting the university-wide effort to maintain the safety and well-being of our students, faculty and staff in our community in the coming weeks.

Wednesday night, we heard from Georgetown University President DeGioia who stated, “These acts are reprehensible and have no place in our country.” I join with him in condemning the criminal acts of violence and intimidation. I also agree with his sentiment that “Across our nation, there is an extraordinary depth of commitment to [democracy] that… can be a source of consolation and solidarity as we pursue important and necessary work to build a more just and equitable future.”

Part of that work is taking place now at our medical center as we look inward to address racial injustices across our campus. The events of Wednesday further underscore the importance and urgency of this work, which is among our highest priorities at GUMC. The work underway is consequential and impactful, and I will discuss this more in a message next week.

I don’t think my words can mitigate the impact of the violence and intimidation we witnessed Wednesday. But I do want to say that all of this should embolden us to walk a path of renewed commitment to actions that represent the values that bind us together as members of the Georgetown University community.

All my best wishes,

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences
Executive Dean, Georgetown University School of Medicine

Date: December 7, 2020
Subject: New Schools at GUMC/Additional Information

Dear Members of the GUMC Community,

Just a short while ago, President DeGioia shared with us momentous plans for Georgetown that significantly and positively impact our medical center campus and the future of health and the health sciences at Georgetown — the establishment of two new schools on our campus by July 2022: the Georgetown University School of Nursing and the Georgetown University School of Health. Our work over the next 18 months will be understandably exciting and intense at the same time. Today I write to share with you an overview, in broad terms, on how we will move forward in our planning.

The planned launch of the Georgetown University School of Nursing and the Georgetown University School of Health, which will advance the strong foundation established by NHS, clearly reaffirms the high value Georgetown University places on the health professions, health research and education in the interest of improving human health here at home and in a global framework.

These new academic structures are the initial steps to emerge from the Health and Health Sciences Strategy Initiative (HSSI). Although the HSSI was launched by President DeGioia in 2019, it has fortuitously positioned Georgetown for quick adaptation to the dramatic consequences of COVID-19. The pandemic has underscored the interdependence of our nation’s health with the health of nations globally; exacerbated and exposed, again, the deep racial inequities in health; revealed and deepened fissures in the bedrock of the nation’s public health infrastructure; and made exigent local, national and global demand for a robust health care workforce pipeline.

Our health and health care challenges here at home and around the world have been laid bare. Sustainable solutions will not come from any one discipline or any one approach, but from a meaningful, collaborative and interdisciplinary effort. And as history has demonstrated time and again, the academic setting, especially like ours at Georgetown, provides the ideal incubator where meaningful ideas emerge and change occurs.

The framework for developing each school will be similar, including an examination of the internal and external environment to identify and prioritize areas of growth and opportunity. Planning for the GSN and GSH has already begun and will continue in earnest over the upcoming year and a half. The future GSN faculty have been meeting regularly, with the support of an outside facilitator, to identify and prioritize areas of growth and opportunity. And as President DeGioia shared, the search for a School of Nursing dean will begin soon and the dean search for the School of Health is expected to launch after a comprehensive planning process.

John Monahan, senior advisor to President DeGioia, will join Dean Carole Gresenz in co-chairing a planning committee for the School of Health to identify co-constituents, and develop relational ties across the medical center, main campus and the law center. Our core team for this committee includes the department chairs from International Health, Health Systems Administration, and Human Science; participation in the planning committee will expand as constituent elements of the School of Health expand.

I am deeply grateful for the hard work that has been done to date under the strong leadership of NHS Interim Dean Carole Roan Gresenz, PhD, in collaboration with Executive Faculty Chair Jan LaRocque, PhD. I’d like to thank the faculty and staff who have participated in this consultative process and look forward to additional engagement as we move to stand up the two schools. And I am deeply grateful to President DeGioia for his vision in leading this transformation as we reimagine the health sciences at Georgetown while being guided by the mission of cura personalis and the values of equity toward the common good.

The decision to establish the two schools is a first and important outcome of the Health and Health Sciences Strategy Initiative — the work continues. You can read more about today’s announcement here, and we’ll hear more about the planning for the future of health and health sciences at our GUMC Community Meeting this Wednesday, Dec. 9 at 2:00 p.m. (join via Zoom). We’re pleased to have President DeGioia to join us to discuss more about this transformational work for our University.

All my best,

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences
Executive Dean, Georgetown University School of Medicine

Date: November 16, 2020
Subject: GUMC and Spring 2021 Plans

Dear Members of the GUMC Community,

Earlier today, we heard from President DeGioia in his video and letter announcing plans for Spring 2021 at Georgetown. I fully support this plan, which takes into careful consideration many complex factors weighed against the backdrop of a deeply concerning, deteriorating situation with COVID-19 across our country. Critically importantly — our academic planning takes into account the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff.

I’m writing to give additional information about how the Spring 2021 academic decision impacts our medical center campus including graduate, professional and undergraduate education, clinical education and research. This is a general overview; more specific information will be shared by the deans and program directors in the coming days.

It is important to emphasize that all our planning is dependent on the course of the pandemic and may be altered if the situation warrants. In addition, our plans require review and acceptance by the D.C. government.

Academic Calendar
For the vast majority of our University, the first class meeting is later than usual — on January 25, 2021. The academic calendar also includes a combined Spring and Easter Break from March 29 through April 4, 2021. However, a few graduate and nursing programs and courses, along with the School of Medicine curriculum follows a different calendar. Deans and program leaders will be in touch about specific calendars.

Biomedical Graduate Education
We are planning to offer a subset of graduate courses with in-person components (hybrid) provided public health conditions allow. Students can continue remote learning if desired. Graduate students approved to conduct doctoral research will continue. As part of our ongoing campus research, some Master’s laboratory-based internships and practicums will be initiated as conditions allow. We are working toward increasing capacity and opportunities. Most Spring 2021 classroom-based courses for graduate programs will begin in accordance with the new academic calendar; individual program leaders will contact students and instructors about start dates if they differ.

Professional Education
Many of our professional students at our School of Nursing & Health Studies and School of Medicine entered clinical rotations in the summer. Today’s Spring 2021 announcement does not impact ongoing clinical activities — these will continue pending host institution availability. Classroom-based education for all students at NHS and SOM will continue virtually, with limited exceptions including gross anatomy lab work for our first year medical students, in-person transition-to-clinic courses for our M2s later in the spring, and opportunities in the simulation labs for some of our nursing students, provided public health conditions allow.

Undergraduate Education
Undergraduate students at the School of Nursing & Health Studies will follow guidance from the Provost. Students in the BSN program will be contacted by their program leadership regarding their return to campus in the Spring for clinical placements.

International Students
The University recognizes that this change may have a special impact on international students who may now have new travel plans. For students studying remotely, I ask faculty to please continue to plan ways to make it possible for students in distant time zones to continue to engage directly with you and their classmates. International students who are concerned about their visas should contact the Office of Global Services (OGS) with questions about their specific situations. In general, according to current guidance, continuing international students with existing visas can study online from any location (in the U.S. or abroad) and maintain their active visa status. Please contact the Office of Global Services with any questions. New international graduate students should contact the Office of Global Services to discuss their options.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please closely review information regarding the District’s Travel Advisory and Guidance. If traveling to DC from a high-risk state, be sure to plan time for the required quarantine to ensure it does not impact scheduled on-campus activities.

Study Spaces
As President DeGioia mentioned, we are exploring opportunities for studying and gathering on campus, including at our Dahlgren Memorial Library, if pandemic conditions allow. A reservation system will provide access to certain key campus locations–with strict adherence to our public health program, participation in our Community Compact, testing, mask wearing, physical distancing, and limited gathering sizes. We will hear more about these opportunities in the coming weeks.

President DeGioia also mentioned that the University is working to provide domestic and international students with access to quiet study spaces and internet access off campus, at no cost, through a new partnership with WeWork, which has office space for individuals in 800 locations in 32 U.S. cities and in 88 cities around the world.

Tuition
We will continue the same tuition reductions in place for Fall 2020 (10% for undergraduates and 5% for graduate students) with the exception of Class of 2021 undergraduate students who choose to have physical access to on-campus facilities, subject to density and other public health requirements. We will provide more information to members of the class of 2021 who decide not to have physical access to campus facilities.

Classrooms
For courses that will be hybrid, there are ongoing efforts to upgrade technology with camera and audio support for Zoom, and microphones for instructors. Classrooms will be cleaned between each usage. Classrooms feature physically distanced seating. Ample hand sanitizer is available in all buildings. Instructors planning in-person classes will be supported by CETS in a technology check and rehearsal of the use of the equipment.

Student Well-Being
We are committed to providing support and resources to our students during this challenging time. Most services are being offered virtually, and a description of health and wellness resources can be found on the Mental Health, Wellness and Health Care Resources page. There are many opportunities for engagement in student organizations, activities, and recreation, and these offerings are outlined on the virtual engagement website.

In addition, our Office of Campus Ministry has adapted much of its programming to our virtual environment, and more information for students of all faith traditions can be found on the Campus Ministry website.

Virtual Mental Health Support for Faculty and Staff
Georgetown University is committed to supporting faculty and staff during this unsettling time. Virtual therapy and coaching from One Medical will soon be available at no cost to eligible U.S.-based faculty and staff. The program gives employees fast, convenient, and free access to one-on-one mental health help through video appointments. More information will be shared via a follow-up email. The addition of One Medical is a complement during this challenging time to the mental health resources provided through University-sponsored health plans and the services offered through the Faculty and Staff Assistance Program (FSAP).

Public Health Conditions and Responsibilities
All faculty, staff and students coming to campus or residing on campus must meet all testing protocols, quarantine and public health requirements set forth and accessible through our website. This may include quarantining prior to coming to campus.

Once cleared to return to campus, those on campus two or more days in a week will have viral tests twice a week; those on campus only one day a week will have a single viral test per week. You can find additional information on Health and Safety on the COVID-19 website and in the frequently asked questions which are updated regularly.

Staff Teleworking
The telework status at Georgetown has not changed. Given the planned increase in activity on our campuses, additional staff members supporting our work on campus may be required. No later than mid-December, staff and AAP employees will receive confirmation from their supervisors and the Department of Human Resources regarding whether they will work in-person or telework until further notice. We will also continue to review our Redeploy Georgetown program and will be in touch with more information on our needs in the coming weeks.

Travel
Due to the ongoing impact of the pandemic, we will continue until further notice the moratorium on all university-sponsored and supported international and domestic air and train travel, including travel funded by a grant, foundation, company or another university. There will be very limited exemptions that must be approved by the appropriate campus EVP or the COO. Without prior approval, any travel booked during this moratorium, regardless of when it is scheduled to take place, will not be eligible for reimbursement. While this measure is one way to reduce spending, this decision was ultimately made in the interest of the health and safety of our community.

Research
The Spring 2021 announcement does not change our planning to increase research density on the medical or main campuses, or impact timing. We continue to work with our research advisory group and leadership to plan for the best way to safely increase our research capacity as long as public health conditions allow, and continue to encourage your compliance with the health and safety measures.

You can find additional information on the COVID-19 Resource Center website and in the frequently asked questions, which are updated regularly. If you have additional questions, please call the University’s COVID-19 Helpline at 202-784-3510 (available 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday to Friday) or email covid19-questions@georgetown.edu to be connected to the appropriate University representative to answer your question.

We’ll have more information about Spring 2021 academic and research planning at our upcoming GUMC Community Meeting in December. Please watch your email for details.

In closing, I wish to extend my gratitude to all of those working to help keep our community safe and healthy including our colleague and interim chief public health officer Dr. Ranit Mishori and the University’s public health advisory group, our fellow employees who are taking part in Redeploy Georgetown, and many others working hard to support all of these roles. In addition, I remain grateful to our faculty and staff who have truly stepped up in these unprecedented times to continue to deliver an exceptional Georgetown education.

Yours truly,

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences
Executive Dean, Georgetown University School of Medicine

Date: Tuesday, October 27, 2020
Subject: Guidance on Election Day 2020

Dear Georgetown Faculty and Staff:

As we approach Election Day on Tuesday, November 3, we encourage our community to look into voting options in their states, such as early voting and voting by mail. 

Time away from work for voting may be used during early voting days and Election Day. Given the circumstances due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the likelihood of long lines or other unexpected delays at the polls, employees will be liberally granted paid election leave to vote beyond the two hours provided in HR Policy 609: Voting Time. This applies to all employees, regardless of where the employee is registered to vote. 

Employees are expected to provide their manager with advance notice if their plans to vote will require them to take time away from scheduled work hours. Managers should grant employees flexibility and provide the paid time off, if required. The hourly cap for submitting Voting Time for non-exempt employees has been temporarily lifted to accommodate unexpected circumstances. Exempt employees should continue to follow their regular time off procedures.  

If voting in-person, it is important to wear a mask and stay six feet apart from other people in public spaces, and wash your hands regularly to help prevent the spread of the virus. 

For faculty, if you are teaching on November 3, you might consider alternatives such as asynchronous learning or assignments that can be completed in lieu of an in-class assignment for the students unable to attend due to voting. 

We also want to highlight the Teaching in Difficult Times, a 2020 Election resource page developed by the Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship (CNDLS). We invite those interested to participate in the next event in the CNDLS/MCEF Roundtable Series exploring teaching during the election and its aftermath, on Friday, October 30, at 4:30 p.m. 

It has become our tradition every four years, on the day before the election, to join together in prayer. All are invited to join Campus Ministry’s Interfaith Chaplains for this Virtual Interfaith Prayer for Our Nation for the good will of our community and nation on Monday, November 2, at 7 p.m. ET. The event will be live streamed from Dahlgren Chapel on the Georgetown University Facebook Page. 

The year 2020 has brought the COVID-19 pandemic, economic recession, racial injustice issues, as well as an election year. It has been a year of unimaginable challenges, so it is important to take time to care for yourself. The Mental Health, Wellness and Health Care Resources page of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resource Center provides information about well-being resources accessible in person or remotely via telehealth. We have also created a new Georgetown Election 2020 website that includes resources and events that you might find helpful. 

As a reminder, the Faculty and Staff Assistance Program (FSAP) remains open, free and available to help you by phone. Virtual appointments can be scheduled by emailing fsap@georgetown.edu; a staff member will then contact you to find a time to connect that will work for your schedule. FSAP will also convene two community conversations for staff who want to connect at 10 p.m. on November 3 and at 1 p.m. on November 4. More information on these Zoom sessions will be posted on the FSAP website in the coming days. 

As we approach Election Day, we hope these resources will help our community exercise their right to vote and find time to reflect and care for themselves.  

Sincerely,

Robert M. Groves, Provost 

Edward B. Healton, Executive Vice President of Health Sciences

William M. Treanor, Executive Vice President and Dean of the Law Center

Geoffrey S. Chatas, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

Date: Friday, September 18, 2020
Subject: Update on Fall 2020 Plans

Dear Faculty and Staff:

Please see the note below that was sent to all graduate students, not applicable to SCS, GU-Q or the School of Medicine, regarding the decision not to move forward with plans to return whole programs for in-person classes at this time. We will continue to provide updates, and we thank you for your cooperation as we navigate this academic year. 

Sincerely,

Robert M. Groves
Provost

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences

—-

Dear Graduate Students,

We write to provide an update on our plans and expectations regarding return to campus this Fall. We announced (Main Campus)(GUMC) at the end of July that, during the semester, we would examine what academic activities could be offered in a hybrid format, including in person on campus this Fall.

In addition to accommodating graduate students who require experiential laboratory/simulation/clinical experiences, we had also hoped to be able to gradually invite graduate students to classes for in-person learning. Unfortunately, based on the trajectory of the virus, as well as current DC regulations, at this date, we are unable to move forward with plans to return whole programs for in-person classes on the Main and Medical Center campuses at this time.

However, if conditions improve, we hope to be able to invite a small number of graduate level classes to conduct face-to-face sessions later in the semester. Moving ahead would require meeting a number of preconditions not currently present: continued limitation of the spread of the pandemic in the District of Columbia; accelerated turn around time in test results; and acceptable levels of compliance with the Georgetown University Community Compact and other public health metrics.

We will continue to monitor the public health concerns that guide our decision-making and will promptly reach out to you with any adjustments or changes to planning.

We thank you for your patience and cooperation as we navigate the academic year through this pandemic.

Sincerely,

Robert M. Groves
Provost

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences

Date: Monday, August 24, 2020
Subject: Disturbing Racial Events and Support Resources

Dear Members of the GUMC Community:

Once again this weekend, we’ve been witness to news reports about disturbing racially-driven actions in our country. We are deeply saddened that in one case, these actions have led to the shooting of a Black man, Jacob Blake, who is in critical condition in Wisconsin.

On behalf of our community, let me strongly state our support for our Black students, particularly at this very difficult time.
Black Lives Matter.

As many of you know, our medical center is engaged in a robust initiative to focus inward and to take responsibility and corrective actions for matters that contribute to systemic racism on our campus and beyond. We are grateful to all involved in this work as a part of the Racial Justice Committee for Change and for activities outside of that committee.

As we continue to process these events as a community, the School of Medicine’s Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion will host Open Dialogue Spaces on zoom this week to engage in reflection across all of our medical center campus. Please join your colleagues to address potential overwhelming feelings of anxiety, fear, and anger associated with these tragedies. Zoom link here for all Open Spaces below.

• Tuesday 8/25, from 6:30-7:30 pm ET
• Wednesday 8/26 from 12-1 pm ET
• Thursday 8/27 from 12-1 pm ET

The ODEI will also be hosting affinity group healing circles upon request to promote increased opportunities for connection in smaller groups. Please contact Dean Cheng at smc307@georgetown.edu for more information.

We also encourage opportunities to reach out for counseling support with CAPS and Campus Ministry.

For Students:

• You may schedule an appointment with CAPS by calling (202) 687-6985 from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. EST, Monday-Friday. In the event of an emergency after hours, please call (833) 960-3006 and you will be connected to a trained behavioral specialist.
• School of Medicine students can schedule an immediate appointment with CAPS by email Dr. Simoné Jalon at sj787@georgetown.edu.
• The Office of Campus Ministry is available to all students during business hours by calling (202) 687-5259. In addition, chaplains in residence may be reached after hours by calling (202) 677-0361.

For Faculty and Staff:

• The Faculty and Staff Assistance Program (FSAP) provides free confidential counseling and referral services to faculty, AAPs, and staff. For more information, visit hr.georgetown.edu/fsap or call (202) 687-2396.
• More mental health and telehealth resources for students, faculty, and staff can be found here.

Please continue to take care of yourselves and each other during this time. Empathy and care are crucial right now. Most importantly, seek support if you need it by reaching out.

Very truly yours,

Edward B. Healton, M.D., MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences
Executive Dean, Georgetown University School of Medicine
Georgetown University Medical Center

Date: Tuesday, August 4, 2020
Subject: Gathering Office Materials Before August 16, 2020

Dear Members of the GUMC Community:

As you may know, for the past few weeks some of you have been given permission to visit our work spaces to quickly gather books or materials useful for our teleworking and remote instruction.

The window for quick visits to GUMC will close soon, as we move to a more formal testing and health protocol across the university.

Faculty and staff should access your offices before Monday, August 17, 2020, to gather materials you need to prepare for the Fall semester and to continue to work and teach in remote status.

Through midnight on Sunday, August 16, 2020, you have access to university buildings. In advance of your visit to campus, please contact Elliott Crooke (crooke@georgetown.edu) and Mary Glasscock (mary.glasscock@georgetown.edu) to notify them of your plans to access the building. As a reminder, anyone coming to the campus now is required to wear a face covering and practice physical distancing while on campus. Starting on August 17, you must follow University protocols for testing and access will be restricted only to those approved for on-campus work for the Fall semester.

We understand there may be singular instances of unanticipated access needed later in the semester. Those will be managed by your Dean’s office, or supervisor, on a case-by-case basis.

Thank you for your patience at this time and for your diligence in preparing for the upcoming semester. We look forward to a day when we can be together in person.

Sincerely,

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences
Executive Dean, Georgetown University School of Medicine

Geoffrey S. Chatas
Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

Date: Wednesday, July 29, 2020
Subject: GUMC and Fall 2020 Plans

Dear Members of the GUMC Community,

Following President DeGioia’s letter today announcing altered plans for the Fall, for which I fully support, I’m writing to give more information about how changes to the Fall 2020 academic semester impact our medical center campus activities including graduate and undergraduate education, clinical education and research.

Research

Today’s announcement does not change our plans for restarting our research enterprise on the medical center campus. As we demonstrate the ability to adhere to guidance for a safe work environment, we will be able to consider an expansion of density consistent with the research resumption plan submitted to, and accepted (“approved”) by the District of Columbia government, in addition to Georgetown’s health and safety plans.

I would like to emphasize the critical importance of following our health and safety measures for our research restart including the daily self-attestation in the One Medical app, staying home if you don’t feel well, wearing a mask while on campus, and practicing social distancing when possible. We will be monitoring compliance with these guidelines.

>>We will have more information about the restart at our Research Town Hall on Thursday, July 30 from 11 to noon. Please watch your email for Zoom information.

Graduate Education

All classroom-based courses for graduate programs will begin using the academic schedule previously announced, but in virtual mode initially. Graduate students approved to conduct research as part of a restart research plan will be permitted to continue their laboratory work.

Dean Anna Riegel will work closely with the Biomedical Graduation Education instructors to assess what courses have a necessary laboratory experience to recommend if these could be permitted and when. Plans should be made to shift laboratory-based exercises when conditions allow us to accommodate a limited number of students on campus. Much will be based on the pandemic situation.

In addition, we plan to allow some graduate courses to transition to a hybrid of virtual and in-person model if and when pandemic conditions allow and we’re able to create a safe environment for our students, staff and instructors.  

Graduate-level and Medical Clinical Activities

Graduate level students at our School of Nursing & Health Studies, and School of Medicine students have or will soon enter clinical rotations.  Today’s announcement does not impact clinical activity. However, classroom-based education for all students in these schools will begin virtually.  As with graduate education, a limited number of courses may transition into a hybrid virtual and in-person model if pandemic conditions allow and we’re able to create a safe environment for our students, staff and instructors.  

>>More information about graduate and professional education will be discussed at our Education Town Hall on Thursday, July 30 from 4 to 5pm. Please watch your email for Zoom information.

Undergraduate Education

Undergraduate students at the School of Nursing & Health Studies will follow guidance from the Provost.

International Students

The University recognizes that this change may have a special impact on international students and it is working to create a rich learning experience for them. Faculty and students are planning ways to make it possible for students in distant time zones to engage directly with their professors and classmates.  International students who are concerned about their visas should contact the Office of Global Services (OGS) with questions about their specific situations. In general, according to current guidance, continuing international students with existing visas can study online from any location (in the U.S. or abroad) and maintain their active visa status.

New international graduate students  should contact the Office of Global Services to discuss their options. 

Tuition

In recognition of the impacts of this decision, all students in credit-bearing undergraduate and graduate courses, will be offered a tuition discount. This discount will apply to students regardless of whether the original modality of the program was on-campus or online.

All undergraduate students will be offered a tuition discount of 10%. Room and board reductions for undergraduate students on campus will remain in place.

There will be a 5% reduction in the Fall’s tuition for all graduate and professional students at Georgetown. This discount reflects the changed access to some services and activities for graduate students.

Staff teleworking

The telework status at Georgetown has not changed. Most academic staff members will continue to telework. Certain staff members currently eligible for telework may be expected to return to campus based upon their roles, the academic and research needs of our community, and the needs of students and researchers on campus. More information will follow from supervisors related to teleworking and timing of a return to campus.

As a reminder, we will continue to monitor the conditions of the pandemic and our public health obligations to our community. The university may revise its operating status if conditions warrant.

I remain grateful for all the work that has been done to prepare for such a scenario. I am confident that we are prepared for this shift.

Yours truly,

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences
Executive Dean, Georgetown University School of Medicine

Date: Friday, July 24, 2020
Subject: Instructions for Your Return for On-campus Research

Dear Members of the Georgetown Research Community:

Last week we received notification that the District of Columbia accepted the University’s research plan for ReOpen DC. We are now prepared to take the next step toward restarting research at Georgetown. You are receiving this message because a) your research plan has been conditionally approved by the University research review process, and b) you have been selected to be part of the first group of researchers returning to campus. Please carefully review the information below regarding the health and safety actions you must take to return to campus.

As we shared in our letter to you on July 6, the University’s health and safety protocols require all those returning to work on campus to receive COVID-19 testing. The guidance for your group of returning researchers has changed to include only two tests, an initial test and a second test five days after the first test. We are working with One Medical, a leading primary care provider network, to provide testing and a mobile phone application for daily self-attestations of symptoms and temperature.  

Mandatory steps to take before returning to campus:

1. For everyone: Become a One Medical member using instructions on this page.
2. Sign the consent form (new window), which authorizes One Medical to receive COVID-19 test results and health data self-reported through the mobile application and to release COVID-19 test results and daily risk assessment information reported through the mobile application to Georgetown.
3. Get tested.
4. After signing up, you must schedule a free COVID-19 testing appointment anytime at the earliest available time frame.

• Open the One Medical app or visit its website, select “Book Visit” or “Get Care.” Enter a reason for the visit (ex: “COVID test”) and select “Georgetown COVID Testing.” 

• Choose a Georgetown University testing site (e.g. Maguire Hall – Georgetown University location) and the next available appointment time, then tap the button to book.

• Attend your testing appointment and get tested. You will get your test results via a secure message, which you can view in your One Medical account via the One Medical app or website. Please note that the current testing result turnaround time ranges from ten to fourteen days.

• Get a second COVID-19 test five days after the first test. You will also need to self-schedule your appointment for the second test within the One Medical app. Do not wait to receive the results of your first test before scheduling your second test.

• You will not be permitted to return to work on campus until you have received a negative test result from your first test and completed your second test.

Updated Health and Safety Expectations for Employees/Students On-Campus 

Georgetown has established a set of common expectations, guidelines and safety measures to ensure day-to-day activities support public health efforts to mitigate infection risks, including a Georgetown University Community Compact. All members of our community will be asked to sign the Compact, thereby agreeing to abide by specific safety measures, including required face coverings when on campus in public and shared spaces, physical distancing, and hand hygiene.

All those returning to campus will be expected to:  

1. Fill out the COVID-19 daily check-in survey on the One Medical app before you leave for campus each day. One Medical will then send you an in-app message with your daily status “badge” that shows your current risk level.
2. Share your daily badge as required at building entry checkpoints throughout campus. A low-risk status badge will be required to gain entry to campus buildings.
3. Get retested periodically (as instructed).

If you have any questions or concerns about the testing process or the One Medical app, don’t hesitate to reach out to One Medical (1-888-ONEMED1).

An additional communication will be sent prior to our return to campus detailing further expectations and changes to operational functions. You will be notified when your individual research plans have been approved by the University indicating you may resume your research on campus.

Thank you for your attention to these instructions and for your commitment to Georgetown. 

Sincerely,

Robert M. Groves
Provost

Edward B. Healton
Executive Vice President of Health Sciences

Geoffrey S. Chatas
Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

Date: Thursday, July 23, 2020
Subject: Georgetown University Community Compact

Dear Members of the Georgetown University Community:

As President DeGioia wrote in his message on July 6, protecting the health and safety of the Georgetown University community is a vitally important priority as we resume on-campus academic and research activities and prepare for the return of our students, faculty, and staff to campus for the Fall semester. Please carefully review the health and safety measures we are implementing for the Fall semester and take the actions indicated below to assist with our safe return to campus. 

Our mission of cura personalis calls each of us at this time to bear individual responsibility to help protect the health and safety of the entire community.

All students, faculty, and staff – including if you are already working or living on campus, returning to campus, or not returning to campus for the Fall semester – must complete a Fall 2020 Affirmation. You will be asked to indicate whether you plan to come onto any Georgetown University-owned, managed, or controlled property (jointly, “campus”) or, if you are a student, whether you will live in the neighborhoods of Georgetown, Burleith, or Foxhall (the “Neighborhoods”) at any time during the Fall 2020 semester. You also will be asked to verify the address where you will be learning or working from for the Fall semester and to update your emergency contact information. It is important to collect this information to protect the health and safety of our community and to provide appropriate support services to our community, regardless of where you may be learning or working during the Fall.

Staff and AAPs who are not already working on campus will be notified by your managers in the days ahead regarding your work status for the Fall semester and should not complete the Fall 2020 Affirmation until you have heard from your supervisor as to whether you will be teleworking or working on campus.  

As part of the Fall 2020 Affirmation, all individuals currently living or working on campus, or who will be coming onto campus in the Fall semester, and students residing in the Neighborhoods during the Fall semester will be required to commit to the Georgetown University Community Compact (“Community Compact”), which outlines our mutual responsibilities and the commitments we must make to one another to ensure our daily activities on campus and in the Neighborhoods support public health efforts to prevent and mitigate risks of infection with COVID-19.

Please log into the GU360 website, click on the “Fall 2020 Affirmation” icon, and follow the instructions.

For undergraduate students who will live in the Neighborhoods this fall, please note the District of Columbia Zoning Commission is expected to waive the on-campus residency requirement for the 2020-21 academic year, and you will not be subject to discipline for not meeting it.

Compliance with Health and Safety Measures

To protect the health and safety of our community, it is imperative that students, faculty, and staff on campus for the Fall, and students living in the Neighborhoods, comply with the provisions of the Community Compact and all health and safety measures established by the University, the District of Columbia, and the federal government.

We are relying on the actions of each of us as a community member to do our part in this time of national and local crisis. The Georgetown community has always been committed to the wellbeing of others. Each member of our community should reinforce the healthy behaviors of one another.

Individuals who fail to follow the University’s health and safety measures could endanger others and may be required to immediately leave campus.  In addition, serious or persistent noncompliance may result in ongoing suspension of access to campus and University facilities, and corrective or disciplinary actions and sanctions under the procedures set forth in campus student codes of conduct or professionalism, the Faculty Responsibilities Code, and Human Resources policies, as applicable.

University Helpline and FAQs

If you have questions or need additional information, please contact our University Helpline between 9 a.m.-5 p.m. EDT Monday to Friday at 202-784-3510. We also encourage you to view this set of FAQs, which may be helpful in providing further information and will be updated regularly.

We are deeply grateful for your care for and commitment to the Georgetown University community. As we prepare for the Fall semester, we will be guided by cura personalis in all of our work together.

Sincerely,

Robert M. Groves
Provost

Edward B. Healton
Executive Vice President of Health Sciences

William M. Treanor
Executive Vice President and Dean of the Law Center

Geoffrey S. Chatas
Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

Date: Tuesday, July 14, 2020
Subject: ICE Directive on International Students Rescinded

Dear Members of the GUMC Community,

We were greatly relieved to learn earlier this afternoon that the Department of Homeland Security’s harmful July 6, 2020, directive that would have required students studying in the United States with F1 visas who are taking a fully online course load to leave the country has been fully rescinded. Georgetown University had signed on to amicus briefs in lawsuits aimed at ending the directive and we are pleased with this development.

This means that the Government will return to the March 9, 2020 and March 13, 2020 policy guidance, which provided much-needed flexibility allowing international students, including those at Georgetown, to continue their studies in the United States virtually.   

We share the sentiment of President DeGioia who said after today’s announcement, “Our international students are integral members of our University community and we will continue to advocate on their behalf whenever necessary.” 

We understand that these past seven days of uncertainty have been difficult for our international students and have left some students feeling unwelcomed and discouraged.  As we said last week, our international students are welcome at Georgetown. Their contributions to our community and beyond are immeasurably valuable.  We condemn any future action that would further harm the education of our global students.

We look forward to having our international students join us virtually or on our campus this fall.

All the best,

Carole Roan Gresenz, PhD
Interim Dean
School of Nursing & Health Studies
 
Princy N. Kumar, MD
Senior Associate Dean of Students
Georgetown University School of Medicine
 
Anna T Riegel PhD
Senior Associate Dean
Biomedical Graduate Education
 
Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences
Executive Dean, Georgetown University School of Medicine

Date: Wednesday, July 8, 2020
Subject: GUMC Supports our International Students

Dear Members of our GUMC Community and Especially International Students:

By now, you may have read this evening’s communication from President DeGioia regarding the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program guidance for the fall semester. We’re writing to add our voices to the swell of support for our international students impacted by the new guidance. We speak for our entire medical center when we say that our international students are welcome at Georgetown. We are a better place — on our campus and in our country — because of your important contributions.

As President DeGioia stated, we are committed to finding ways to include sufficient in-person components in our Fall programs at the medical center to satisfy visa requirements for international students, even if the legal challenge opposing the new guidance isn’t successful. BGE, NHS and SOM leaders will work with the Office of Global Services to respond to our international students’ needs.

All the best,

Carole Roan Gresenz, PhD
Interim Dean
School of Nursing & Health Studies

Princy N. Kumar, MD
Senior Associate Dean of Students
Georgetown University School of Medicine

Anna T Riegel, PhD
Senior Associate Dean
Biomedical Graduate Education

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences
Executive Dean, Georgetown University School of Medicine

Date: Tuesday, June 30, 2020
Subject: Dean Emeritus Ray Mitchell

Dear Members of our GUMC Community,

Today marks the end of a remarkable era for one of our most treasured colleagues here at Georgetown. As Ray Mitchell’s 20-year tenure as Dean for Medical Education comes to an end, we honor his undeniably rich legacy in molding thousands of students into physicians in the true spirit of cura personalis.  

Tomorrow morning, Ray begins in his new role as Dean Emeritus with an exciting charge ahead focused on learners and patients.

Our community is fortunate that he will stay with us at Georgetown as professor of medicine and pediatrics as he continues to care for children with rheumatologic diseases. One of his important new roles will be in supporting specific philanthropic efforts in support of the new surgical pavilion by leveraging his wonderful passion for his home since the 1980s.

We’re especially pleased that Ray won’t be stepping away from teaching, but rather diving deeper into an area of medical education that captures his passion for patient care –the art of bedside medicine. Many of you know that Ray often is guided and inspired by the memory of Proctor Harvey, renowned for his exceptional ability to diagnose complex cardiac problems by listening through his stethoscope to a patient’s heart rhythms. That was the center of Dr. Harvey’s high-touch approach to doctoring. It is this legacy that Ray is committed to carrying forward. To that end, Ray’s work in the coming years will focus on advancing the goals of the Proctor Harvey Center for Excellence in Clinical Teaching by leading the effort to renew a focus on bedside diagnosis for our current and future students.

Over his decades at Georgetown, Ray has consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to student well-being. It is with that in his heart, and an eye to the future that Ray has already volunteered to help lead the newly formed Racial Justice Committee for Change and its important work to be carried out this summer and throughout the new academic year. We are most grateful for his ongoing contributions.

But truly, his legacy is already cemented here on the Hilltop as he enters his fourth decade at Georgetown. In announcing last year that Ray was stepping down, President DeGioia highlighted his many accomplishments. Those accomplishments, his long service, and his deep dedication to Georgetown are worthy of celebration.

Unfortunately, the pandemic has thwarted our planned celebrations, and so we look forward to the day when we can gather in person to honor Ray’s long service to Georgetown.

Please join me in wishing the very best to Ray as he transitions to his emeritus role.

All the best,

Edward B. Healton, M.D., M.P.H.
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences
Executive Dean, School of Medicine

Date: Tuesday, June 30, 2020
Subject: Faculty Teaching in Fall 2020

To: GUMC Faculty Teaching in Fall 2020

Below is guidance for GUMC faculty for the upcoming fall semester.

Key Points:

• Health and safety are a priority
• No faculty member will be required to teach on-campus contrary to their preference
• Departments/programs and schools will make recommendations about preferred mode* of instruction for each course (i.e., hybrid or online).

By Georgetown’s COVID-19-related practices, introduced in March, 2020, faculty teaching and a variety of administrative staff duties have been designated as telework-eligible while the University maintained a virtual operating model. 

Given the commitment to provide hybrid instruction to graduate and health professions students in fall 2020 and the need to manage density on our campus to help keep our community safe, the university provides the following principles to determine those duties for which faculty remain “telework-eligible” and those for which an in-person presence is required.  These practices will apply only to fall 2020 unless explicitly changed in a later statement.

The process occurs in two parallel steps:

Faculty Determination of Teaching Mode. The physical and mental health of our community is a preeminent principle of the fall 2020 plans. Individual considerations may constrain the actions of faculty members (e.g., being in a CDC high risk category, the presence of an at-risk person in their household). Thus, if a faculty member feels they have health circumstances or other reasonable concerns that require them to teach online, they would perform their teaching duties remotely.

Determining Mode of Instruction Appropriate to Course Learning Goals.  When a course is offered to students who can come to campus, a decision must be made about whether the course will use a hybrid mode or online only mode. The achievement of each course’s learning goals is central to the choice of mode of instruction. Some courses have characteristics that suggest their learning goals can be achieved more fully with an in-person presence of a faculty member. Other courses may achieve their goals more easily with a fully online mode. The academic learning goals of a course will determine the most appropriate teaching mode (hybrid or solely online) for the course.  Department chairs or program directors, working with course directors, will determine the preferred mode of instruction for each course. Department plans will ultimately be approved by deans of Biomedical Graduation Education, School of Medicine, or School of Nursing & Health Studies.

These two steps combine in the following way:

1. If a faculty member will not be teaching in person, all classes they teach will be delivered remotely.
2. If a class is deemed by a department chair or program director and the faculty involved with the course to be better taught in a hybrid mode, whatever faculty member is assigned to that course will teach the course in person in a hybrid format.
3. When there are conflicts between 1) and 2) above, the department/program will propose alternative instructor staffing appropriate to the designated mode of the course, with the assistance of the dean’s office.

Regardless of the delivery mode of the course, faculty will have the opportunity to request teaching times compatible with their household time constraints.  Those constraints will be accommodated as much as possible in the course scheduling for fall 2020.  Departments/programs will be expected to offer their classes at the times and days thereafter assigned by the relevant registrar. 

Office Hours:  Zoom is the preferred mode for office hours.  However, rooms suitable for physical distancing of one faculty member and one student will be available on campus. When on-campus, faculty and teaching staff may choose to offer some on-campus office hours.  Office hours or other one-to-one meetings are required to follow the physical distancing guidelines of the approved university plan.

Small research and administrative meetings: Small meetings (fewer than 10 people) of department/unit faculty may be held on campus only if (1) it is determined  by the department/unit leader that meeting in person will significantly enhance the ability to meet essential responsibilities of the unit, (2) a room fulfilling campus social distancing guidelines is available (3) accommodations are available for participants who require alternatives from meeting in person (see above). 

Large research and administrative meetings: Until further notice after the fall start, large meetings (of more than 10 people) of faculty within a department/program may not be held in person except with permission of the Dean, and then must meet the three conditions above (necessity, room availability, and accommodations).  This principle necessarily requires that most department/program faculty meetings will occur by Zoom.

Health and Safety Guidelines.  All employees and students who return to campus will be expected to comply with health and safety guidelines established by the university.

*Definitions
Online Only course: All teaching for a course will occur online (i.e. no in person activities).
Hybrid course: Part of the course will involve on-campus, in-person teaching for students who can come to campus.  However, all teaching for the course will be available online for students who cannot come to campus and the course will be designed so that solely online students are not disadvantaged by not partaking in the on-campus activities.

Edward Healton
Ray Mitchell
Carole Roan Gresenz
Anna Riegel

Date: Saturday, June 20, 2020
Subject: COVID-19 Update: DC Phase Two Reopening

Dear Members of the Georgetown Community: 

Yesterday, Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser announced the city will move to Phase Two for reopening, on Monday, June 22. This will be the second of four phases based on the ReOpen DC plan.
 
In Phase Two, universities can begin to gradually reopen only after an approval by the District government of a university plan. As outlined in President DeGioia’s message on fall planning, the university continues to work on our plan, focusing on how we can provide for the safe return of the members of our community given the risks posed by COVID-19. Georgetown has not yet submitted its plan to the District for approval but seeks to do so soon. We will continue to consult with our community as we finalize our plans for the future, including for the coming semester.  
 
The DC government’s new phase does not change the current operating status for Georgetown University’s campuses and off-campus offices in Washington, DC. The university remains as a virtual learning and telework flexible environment. In support of this effort, staff, AAPs and temporary employees should continue to telework as directed by their supervisors, and all existing telework designations made pursuant to our COVID-19 Telework Guidelines and Procedures remain in place. Please respect the telework designation for the health and safety of our community.

Academic and administrative buildings on the Main and Medical Center Campus will continue to be restricted to a limited number of community members with approved GOCard access as they have been. Buildings that remain closed to the entire community include Lauinger Library, Dahlgren Medical Library, Leavey Center, Healey Family Student Center and Yates Field House. Buildings on the Law Center campus are similarly restricted to GOCard access only. These restrictions also apply to off-campus offices, including Wisconsin Avenue and M Street offices, the Harris Building and the School of Continuing Studies campus at 640 Massachusetts Avenue, NW. 

As detailed in university guidance, all employees, students, and visitors in a Georgetown University Washington, DC, campus space (including all university-owned or controlled buildings, campus grounds, shared laboratory areas, shared residence hall spaces, conference rooms, restrooms, etc.) must wear a face covering at all times, except when alone in a private room with a closed door or in a private vehicle.

As a reminder, the moratorium on university-sponsored travel for faculty and staff remains in effect until further notice. 

If you would like to receive a daily update listing all new COVID-19 communications sent by Georgetown, subscribe to our daily digest. Should you have additional questions, please contact our university call center at 202-784-3510, Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Sincerely,

Robert M. Groves, Provost
Edward B. Healton, Executive Vice President for Health Sciences and Executive Dean of the School of Medicine
William M. Treanor, Executive Vice President and Dean of the Law Center
Geoffrey S. Chatas, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

Date: Thursday, June 18, 2020
Subject: Dean for Medical Education Update

Dear Members of the GUMC Community:

I write to update you on our search for a new Dean for Medical Education at the School of Medicine and our plans for the interim period until a new dean is in place.

As you’ll recall, at the beginning of February, President DeGioia and I assembled the search committee marking the official launch of the decanal search.

That committee, led by Michelle Roett, MD, MPH, and Aviad “Adi” Haramati, PhD, is actively moving forward. The committee launched with a workshop on bias reduction followed by several meetings since February. Drs. Roett and Haramati hosted multiple listening sessions open to our community and alumni. As of today, individual interviews have been conducted with various leaders around the Georgetown campus and MedStar Health. The recruitment for candidates is ongoing, applications are being reviewed, and the committee has begun engaging with the candidates. We are grateful to our dedicated community members on the committee for their critically important work.

As you might expect, there have been delays related to the pandemic. We know potential candidates may be, understandably, too distracted to pursue this opportunity. We also anticipate delays in our ability to hold in-person interviews. As was said in January, we will take the time needed to identify the best candidate — having a new Dean for Medical Education in place for the start of the next academic year will not happen though we do anticipate naming the new Dean around the new year.

During the interim period after Dean Ray Mitchell concludes his service on June 30 and the start of the new dean, I’ll perform the duties of Dean for Medical Education — an extension of my role as the School of Medicine’s Executive Dean — and the school’s chief academic officer. I embrace this opportunity with enthusiasm and I am grateful for the deep strengths and commitment of the current academic leadership in the School of Medicine, and for the outstanding staff supporting the various offices.

I remain grateful to Ray, especially for his leadership at the School of Medicine this spring during these most difficult times. In a few short weeks, he will become Dean Emeritus and serve as a member of our medical education faculty in the Department of Medicine. Unfortunately, the pandemic has curtailed our planned celebrations for Ray, but we look forward to the day when we can gather in person to honor his service to Georgetown. Please join me in wishing the very best to Ray as he transitions to his emeritus role. 

All the best,

Edward B. Healton, M.D., M.P.H.
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences
Executive Dean, School of Medicine

Date: Monday, June 15, 2020
Subject: Cancellation of Fall 2020 Study Abroad and Exchange Programs

Dear Members of the Georgetown Community,

COVID-19 has deeply impacted all of our lives and we remain grateful for the generosity of spirit of the Georgetown community as we work through so many new elements of our university academic functions and operations.

Today, after much consideration, we regrettably must announce the extension of the moratorium on all university-sponsored student international travel through the upcoming semester, including the cancellation of fall 2020 study abroad and exchange programs.

We know that in light of the moratorium, many in our community had inquired about fall plans for study abroad and other international travel. We thank you for your patience as we worked to assess these complex questions. 

For those students with plans to participate in a university-sponsored or related international travel program or abroad program for the fall or full academic year, the relevant office or department will be in touch with you today to provide additional information regarding next steps, including information for graduate or professional students regarding any relevant exception process. Limited exceptions to this moratorium may be considered for specific graduate and professional student travel, and must be approved by the appropriate Executive Vice President.

This decision applies to all university-sponsored international travel by undergraduate, graduate and professional students. It does not, however, impact university-sponsored international travel for faculty and staff, which remains subject to the moratorium communicated on April 21. 

Our decision was made in the interest of the health and safety of our community, taking into account the dynamic nature of the global public health situation, significant current limitations on international travel, and the ability to appropriately support students abroad during this time of uncertainty. We decided now in order to provide all students who had planned to participate in university-sponsored international travel or programs with ample time to adjust their plans to continue their studies with Georgetown for the fall semester. 

We recognize how disruptive and significant this decision is, and the university is actively working with relevant departments to help affected students determine the best course of action to continue their academic progress in the fall.

University leadership and key stakeholders continue to meet to review, update and communicate during this pandemic. We recognize the challenges this health crisis has caused for our community, and we appreciate everyone’s cooperation and efforts as we work through these times. 

You can find all university updates, answers to frequently asked questions and other resources related to coronavirus on the Georgetown University website.

Sincerely,

Robert M. Groves, Provost
Edward B. Healton, Executive Vice President for Health Sciences and Executive Dean of the School of Medicine
William M. Treanor, Executive Vice President and Dean of the Law Center
Geoffrey S. Chatas, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

Date: Wednesday, June 3, 2020
Subject: Racial Justice and Our Solidarity

View additional letters from leaders and groups at Georgetown.

Dear Members of the GUMC Community,

Like many of you, the events of the past week and a half weigh heavily on me.  As I worked today to collect my thoughts in order to share them here, I quickly realized that words feel inadequate in contrast to action. Still, in this moment I feel that it is important to express the medical center’s solidarity with all of our colleagues and fellow citizens who are raising their voices for change and justice within the Black community.

In just a short period of time, we have been reminded in dramatic fashion of the pervasiveness of racial inequities in our society. The COVID-19 pandemic that has gripped our world and changed every aspect of how we live has brought devastating losses in the form of income and jobs, moments with loved ones, and life as we knew it. It has also exposed the fault lines of racial inequity, as we have seen the virus sweep through Black communities disproportionately. Our colleagues at MedStar Georgetown have treated many of these severe cases. In DC alone, 75% of COVID-19 deaths are among African Americans.

The death of George Floyd and recent civil unrest has exposed these fault lines still further. We are faced with a new landscape shaped by all of these events. The question I ponder now is whether we can find our footing in this new terrain to remake our society.

Each of you will find your own ways of responding to the challenges raised by the events of recent days. These individual efforts will collectively have an important impact, and I strongly support and share in that work. 

I hope your work at GUMC also will be a part of that response. As our mission states, our work is to improve human health through education, research, service and patient care. Embedded within this statement is the pursuit of social justice, which is a guide for our work to resolve systemic inequities that are the result of overwhelming health disparities. We should recommit to this mission in the Jesuit spirit of care and respect for each person and every person, of each community and every community, viewed through the lens of health equity, one of the most important social justice issues of our time. The spirit of caring for the whole person as individuals within our broader community is more necessary now than ever before.

We have much work to do to achieve health equity. The magnitude of what we are up against was made plain by a new report on health disparities in the District released yesterday by Christopher King at NHS.  In this, his second such report, he synthesizes the stark and stunning health and economic disparities in our community. Though sobering, this information can add purpose and value to our individual work, both professionally and personally.

We all may struggle at times to identify what action we can take to meaningfully demonstrate our shared commitment and support to communities experiencing societal inequities. In addition to our important outward facing work, we – as a medical center community – also must look inward and continue to do the work that is needed and required to ensure our campus reflects justice and equity for all.

To the faculty, staff and students who are members of our Black community, know that we stand with you. We value you and your many contributions. We desperately want to be a positive force in healing, from not only these deeply distressing and painful recent days, but from the legacy of slavery that has endured for 400 years.

I invite you to join me later today at the School of Medicine’s Moment of Silence & Prayer for Peace.  It is open to all in our community and begins at 5:15pm ET. You can join via this Zoom link.

These times can leave many of us feeling deeply troubled. Below you’ll find a list of support resources that are available for our community.

Yours truly,

Edward B. Healton, M.D., MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences
Executive Dean, Georgetown University School of Medicine
Georgetown University Medical Center

Date: Wednesday, May 27, 2020
Subject: COVID-19 Update: Impacts From DC Phase One Reopening

Dear Members of the Georgetown Community:

Earlier today, Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced the city will move to Phase One (new window) for reopening, beginning this Friday, May 29. This is the first of four phases based on the ReOpen DC (new window) plan and the city meeting key thresholds to contain the COVID-19 virus.

This announcement does not change the current operating status for Georgetown University’s campuses and off-campus offices in Washington, DC.

While the city is gradually reopening, Georgetown University’s operating status remains as a virtual learning and telework flexible environment (new window). In support of this effort, staff, AAPs and temporary employees should continue to telework as directed by their supervisors, and all existing telework designations made pursuant to our COVID-19 Telework Guidelines and Procedures remain in place. All summer courses will continue to be delivered through remote learning.

Academic and administrative buildings on the Main and Medical Center Campus will continue to be restricted to a limited number of community members with approved GOCard access as they have been. Buildings that remain closed to the entire community include Lauinger Library, Dahlgren Medical Library, Leavey Center, Healey Family Student Center and Yates Field House. Buildings on the Law Center campus are similarly restricted to GOCard access only. These restrictions also apply to off-campus offices, including Wisconsin Avenue and M Street offices, the Harris Building and the School of Continuing Studies campus at 640 Massachusetts Avenue, NW.

This summer we also continue to support approximately 100 undergraduate students and 40 law students who have been approved to stay on campus due to extenuating circumstances. Students remaining on Main Campus or in the neighborhoods by the Main Campus must abide by local directives and face enhanced sanctions (new window) for not doing so.

As detailed in recent guidance (new window), all employees, students, and visitors in a Georgetown University Washington, DC, campus space (including all campus owned or controlled buildings, campus grounds, shared laboratory areas, shared residence hall spaces, conference rooms, restrooms, etc.) must wear a face covering at all times, except when alone in a private room with a closed door or in a private vehicle.

Each university in the District is working with the city to prepare a more detailed reopening plan for campus operations as the city moves through its four phases. We will continue to update our community as DC updates its plans to reopen. If you would like to receive a daily update listing all new COVID-19 communications sent by Georgetown, subscribe to our daily digest (new window). Should you have additional questions, please contact our university call center at 202-784-3510, Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Sincerely,

Robert M. Groves, Provost
Edward B. Healton, Executive Vice President for Health Sciences and Executive Dean of the School of Medicine
William M. Treanor, Executive Vice President and Dean of the Law Center
Geoffrey S. Chatas, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

Date: May 18, 2020
Subject: COVID-19 Update: Campus Face Covering Guidance

Dear Members of the Georgetown University Community,

In response to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, the university is implementing new guidance requiring all employees, students and visitors to wear a face covering when on any of the university’s DC campuses beginning immediately and effective until further notice. 

This guidance is in accordance with the May 13, 2020, District of Columbia Mayor’s Extensions of Public Emergency and Public Health Emergency and Preparation for Washington, DC Reopening Order 2020-066 which mandates, as it pertains to Georgetown, face coverings for individuals engaging in minimal business operations where social distance cannot be maintained. 

As detailed in the guidance, all employees and students in a Georgetown University Washington, DC, campus space (including campus buildings, campus grounds, shared laboratory areas, shared residence hall spaces, conference rooms, etc.) are required to wear a face covering at all times, except when alone in a private room with a closed door or in a private vehicle. This guidance also applies to all riders of university GUTS buses. Visitors to campus will also be required to wear face coverings at all times, including children over the age of two. 

Employees or students who live or work on campus and cannot wear a face covering for reasons related to their inclusion in a protected category may request an accommodation through the Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity and Affirmative Action (IDEAA). Students who wish to request a disability-related accommodation may do so by contacting the Academic Resource Center (for Main Campus and Medical Center students) or the Office of Disability Services (for Law Center students). 

Any employee, student or visitor who fails to abide by these guidelines may be asked or directed to leave the campus space. Employees and students who are directed to leave a campus space for failure to comply with these guidelines may be taken off duty and/or subject to disciplinary action.

As a reminder, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies), especially in areas of significant community-based transmission. You should NOT use N-95 face masks meant for health care workers; however, it is easy to make your own face coverings at home. Faculty and staff who need support in securing a face covering can contact the Office of Emergency Management. Students remaining on campus will be contacted and informed about resources related to this new guidance.

The best way to prevent infection is to avoid being exposed to this virus. More information about the university’s face covering guidance as well as additional health information, answers to frequently asked questions and other university resources on the Georgetown Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resource Center.

If you would like to receive a daily update listing all new COVID-19 communications sent by Georgetown, subscribe to our daily digest. Should you have additional questions, please contact our university call center at 202-784-3510, Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Sincerely,
Robert M. Groves, Provost
Edward B. Healton, Executive Vice President for Health Sciences and Executive Dean of the School of Medicine
William M. Treanor, Executive Vice President and Dean of the Law Center
Geoffrey S. Chatas, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

Date: May 15, 2020
Subject: An Extraordinary Spring Semester

Dear Members of the GUMC Community,

Graduation week is upon us marking one of the most exciting times of the year for our medical center campus.

Typically, during this week in May, many of us would be rushing to finalize the finishing touches on treasured events like Warwick Evans and Tropaia, to celebrate student achievement in academics, service and leadership. We’d be celebrating the annual MAGIS Society Induction Ceremony to honor exceptional teaching. The annual Pinning and Blessing of the Hands ceremonies would include a real touch for undergraduate and graduate nursing students. Our GEMS would be celebrated for great accomplishments. We’d witness several medical students taking their oath of military service. DAR Constitution Hall would be brimming with proud family and friends, Healy Lawn would be beautiful (and quite warm) with glowing family pride, and hooding would be a wonderful sight taking many of us back to our own graduations.

While we’re forced to accept virtual celebrations for 2020, there remains a strong sense of extraordinary achievement and gratification during this most unusual time. The completely unexpected and sudden shift from classroom to virtual instruction pushed us to new heights and gave us all a tremendous appreciation for the incredible effort mounted by our faculty and support staff — all to ensure that the virtual learning environment was the best it could be for our Georgetown students.  We’ve heard of many examples of creativity and reimagination over these last two months:

• Alex Theos, an associate professor of human science at NHS, converted his lab-based class into a virtual course over night by spending several hours videotaping himself doing lab experiments to use for his online instruction.
• Recognizing that 3rd year medical students would be delayed entering their clinical education, the SOM clerkship directors for pediatrics, medicine, surgery, ob/gyn, (Megha Fitzpatrick, Cathy Okuliar, Shimae Fitzgibbons and James Benson) moved swiftly to incorporate the didactics portion of clerkships into a brand new 8 week virtual curriculum so that no time was lost. The virtual block also incorporates a standardized patient curriculum (Mary Donovan).
• And imagine teaching in real time what you usually teach as hypothetical. That’s what Erin Sorrell did for these final two months. As director of the BGE’s MS Program in Biohazardous Threat Agents & Emerging Infectious Diseases, Erin incorporated real time data on the pandemic into classes ranging from host-pathogen interactions, biological threat and risk assessments, epidemiology, laboratory diagnostics, global health security/biodefense economy and the national response.

For these and all the other hidden talents that you have reflected in these last two months, for your dedication to finding balance as you completed your work with little ones or others in need of care at home, and for your support of each other, I send my deepest appreciation and gratitude.  Thank you.

Despite all that seems to be missing from this special week, not everything is cancelled. I’m reminded of what one of our dear colleagues, Nancy Harazduk, shared with us during our April 28 community meeting: Spring, fresh air, love, relationships, dancing, imagination, devotion, kindness, conversation, and hope for the future are not cancelled.

I wish you the very best.

Yours truly,
Edward B. Healton, M.D., M.P.H.
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences and
Executive Dean

Date: May 13, 2020
Subject: Following Up on President DeGioia’s message

Dear Members of the GUMC Community:
 
I am reaching out to follow up on President DeGioia’s message yesterday and share  additional information, including details about webinars being offered to help answer questions about the university’s voluntary furlough and the voluntary salary reduction options.  
 
As you know, the university is taking several actions to address the serious financial concerns related to the evolving challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. These decisions were not taken lightly, nor have they been easy ones to make. 
 
The steps announced yesterday are not the university’s first in response to our economic challenges. As Geoff Chatas, the university’s chief operating officer has shared previously, Georgetown has achieved more than $2 million dollars in salary reductions from more than 50 other senior leaders including President DeGioia, imposed a hiring and salary freeze for this year, and limited all non-essential spending.
 
As President DeGioia outlined yesterday, the university is now moving forward with additional actions:

• There will be no merit increase for the next fiscal year for all faculty, staff and AAPs.
• The university will temporarily halt contributions to the 403(b) accounts of faculty, staff, and AAPs for the next fiscal year – although this decision will be revisited during the course of the year in light of the university’s financial situation.
• The university has cancelled non-essential capital expenditures.

President DeGioia also outlined two voluntary initiatives that people can participate in that will help our community and the university financially at this difficult time: a voluntary furlough or a voluntary salary reduction.

Voluntary Furlough Program

Georgetown is implementing a voluntary furlough program based on ability to perform available work, as outlined in the Voluntary Furlough Guidelines. This includes both positions for which, due to our current mode of operation, there is an inability to work and positions for which there has been a reduction in the amount of available work. A furlough is a temporary unpaid leave, during which affected individuals remain Georgetown employees.

Staff and AAP employees, including both hourly and exempt employees, are eligible to apply to participate in the Voluntary Furlough Program. Upon approval of senior leadership, this program affords employees the opportunity to take an unpaid leave of absence while retaining benefits. Participation is completely voluntary. Details of the program are below: 

• The furlough will go into effect Monday, May 25, 2020, and conclude on Sunday, July 26, 2020.
• Furloughed employees will return to work on Monday, July 27, 2020.
• All furloughed employees will retain their current medical, dental and vision insurance. Georgetown will pay both the employer and employee portions of these insurance premiums during the furlough period.
• Tuition Assistance Program benefits and paid leave accruals, if applicable, will continue while employees are temporarily furloughed.
• Affected employees may file for state unemployment compensation benefits and federal support immediately.
• Upon an employee’s return to work, the university will consider efforts to mitigate economic impacts this furlough may have caused.
• Additional resources, including FAQs, can be found on the Human Resources website.

Informational webinars will be hosted via Zoom on Thursday, May 14 and Friday, May 15, 2020 at 10 a.m and 2 p.m. Representatives from the Department of Human Resources and Office of Faculty and Staff Benefits will discuss the Voluntary Furlough Program and upcoming changes to the university contribution toward the 403(b) retirement plan, and participants will have opportunities to ask questions.

Interested staff and AAPs , as well as 12-month faculty at the Medical Center, should apply using this form by 5 p.m., Monday, May 18. Applications will be reviewed by HR and managers, and applicants will be notified in writing as to whether their furlough application has been approved or denied by Friday, May 22.

Voluntary Salary Reduction

In addition to this furlough program, we will offer a voluntary temporary salary reduction program for all faculty, staff, and AAP who wish to participate.

A voluntary cut in salary will help put the institution in the strongest position to protect our academic and research mission. This program will:

• allow any employee to designate a reduction amount or percentage in their annual salary;
• maintain all benefits for participating employees;
• run through the date of the employee’s choosing, any time until June 30, 2021; and
• be done in a confidential manner so that managers, supervisors and academic deans are not aware of employees’ decisions to participate.

We hope that voluntary savings will allow the university to support and maintain funds to assist with:

• increased need for financial support for our community with important programs such as student financial aid, the COVID-19 Crisis Response Fund for Students and the GUCares Employee Emergency Fund.
• loss of revenue during the summer period
• maintain our workforce and direct wage support for our colleagues whose work may be affected by changes in operations

Interested faculty, staff and AAPs should apply using the appropriate form which is available on the HR website.  Medical Center Faculty with questions can contact Elliott Crooke, Sr. Associate Dean, Faculty and Academic Affairs. General questions can also be directed to the HR, Benefits and Payroll help line at 202-687-2500.

We recognize that people have different work obligations and financial needs. Not everyone will be able to participate in these two programs. For more information about how you can help, please refer to the “How to Help” section of our COVID-19 website, which outlines ways the community can lend support.

We hope that significant savings through voluntary actions may help the university  protect as many jobs as we can, for as long as we can and minimize or avoid future employment actions, such as mandatory furloughs, salary reductions, and/or layoffs.

We have experienced many changes in these last couple of months related to education, research continuity and the clinical experience, and more, we likely will have more changes to life as we know it as the pandemic continues to evolve. I am grateful to all of you for your support of your colleagues and our students on behalf of Georgetown.  Thank you.  

Sincerely,
Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences
Executive Dean, Georgetown University School of Medicine

Date: April 21, 2020
Subject: Continuing Moratorium on University-Sponsored Travel

Dear Georgetown Faculty and Staff,
In early March, we suspended all university-sponsored international and domestic travel for faculty and staff through May 15. As we have continued to monitor the evolving nature of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on our community, today we announce the extension of this travel moratorium until further notice.  

This suspension includes all university-sponsored and supported international and domestic air and train travel and includes travel funded by a grant, foundation, company or another university. Any travel booked during this moratorium, regardless of when it is scheduled to take place, will not be eligible for reimbursement. 

Our decision was made in the interest of the health and safety of our community, taking into account current stay-at home orders and the dynamic nature of the COVID-19 domestic and global response. We will continue to reassess this guidance and will update these temporary restrictions as appropriate. 

When travel resumes, any university-sponsored travel must be booked through Georgetown Travel Services. The service mitigates risk for trip changes or cancellations and also ensures the university is able to provide emergency assistance to its employees and students who are traveling on university business. 

If a faculty or staff member believes there is a compelling university-related reason to book future international or domestic travel, they should consult with the office of the Provost or campus Executive Vice President (for Medical and Law Centers), Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (for staff of University Services), or the Vice President and Chief of Staff (for direct reports to the President) to request an exception. If travel is authorized during this moratorium, special instructions for booking can be found on the Georgetown Travel Services website.

University leadership and key stakeholders continue to meet to review, update, and communicate during this evolving public health emergency. We recognize the challenges this coronavirus outbreak presents for our community, and we appreciate everyone’s cooperation and efforts as we work through these times. 

You can find all university updates, answers to frequently asked questions and other resources related to coronavirus on the Georgetown University website.

Sincerely,

Robert M. Groves, Provost
Edward B. Healton, Executive Vice President for Health Sciences and Executive Dean of the School of Medicine
William M. Treanor, Executive Vice President and Dean of the Law Center
Geoffrey S. Chatas, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

Date: April 15, 2020
Subject: Cancellation of On-Campus Summer Programming and Transitions to Virtual Delivery

Dear Georgetown Faculty and Staff,

As we approach the final weeks of the spring semester, we continue to navigate the challenges the COVID-19 pandemic has presented to our community. At the end of last month, we announced that all Main Campus Summer 2020 instruction would be moved to virtual delivery. The Law Center also moved online all of its summer classes for continuing J.D. and LL.M students. 

In addition to the continuation of the virtual learning environment, today we are announcing that all in-person summer programs scheduled to be held on the Main Campus, the School of Continuing Studies campus and Law Center campus through August 9, 2020 will need to be shifted to an online-only format or otherwise be canceled. 

With approaching summer program deadlines and continuing uncertainty regarding the duration of “stay-at-home orders” and social distancing guidelines, we concluded that this is the best course of action to ensure the health and safety for all. No in-person housing, event or athletic space will be provided for summer programming, including camps and conferences. All Main Campus summer conference deposits through August 9 will be fully refunded. As we move forward, we will prioritize Main Campus orientation programs and pre-sessions associated with the fall semester. For more information, please contact conferencehousing@georgetown.edu.

We recognize there are several academic programs at the Medical Center and Law Center that are part of the upcoming academic year and that would typically begin in July or early August, prior to August 9. Participants in those programs will hear directly from their program directors in the weeks ahead with information on the delivery of those activities.

We will be following-up on travel guidance for the summer in the days ahead.

As a reminder, the Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship (CNDLS) is available to support faculty and staff in transitioning programs and activities to remote formats. If, after careful consideration, a program cannot be transitioned to a virtual environment, it must be rescheduled or canceled. For all questions about the transition to virtual delivery for summer programs, please consult your program chairs, deans and department heads.

We understand how disruptive these necessary decisions are for our community. As we continue to evaluate the latest health guidance and safety procedures, we will revisit these decisions as circumstances allow. 

Thank you all for your commitment and dedication. We are very grateful for your extraordinary efforts.

Sincerely,

Geoffrey S. Chatas, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
Robert M. Groves, Provost
Edward B. Healton, Executive Vice President for Health Sciences and Executive Dean of the School of Medicine
William M. Treanor, Executive Vice President and Dean of the Law Center

Date: April 11, 2020
Subject: Special message from Dr. Healton

Dear Members of the GUMC Community,

I write today to send my very best wishes to you and your family during Passover and Holy Week. At this very stressful time, with so much change in our lives, I hope these special days bring you support and comfort.

I appreciate the more than 480 of you who joined us April 1st for our first virtual community meeting; it was very good to reconnect, and to hear President DeGioia provide his wide perspective on the first weeks of our university response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We also had a chance to hear updates from our Medical Center leadership.

Since that virtual gathering, the School of Nursing & Health Studies, the School of Medicine, and our Biomedical Graduate Education programs continue to provide their curriculum fully online.  We are watching these programs carefully with learner and teacher surveys and leadership oversight by the school deans and program directors, and overall the feedback has been very positive.

In addition to our ongoing research, carried out consistent with our original research guidelines, several of our investigators have turned their attention to coronavirus related work, including basic science focused on drug development, novel diagnostic studies and important databases.  More than a dozen projects have been initiated.  Our clinical faculty also are planning clinical trials to advance new therapies.

I also would like to pause and offer special recognition to our clinical faculty, nursing colleagues and all of the caregivers and hospital staff.  These next few weeks will be exceptionally challenging for our friends and colleagues on the frontlines of patient care. MedStar Health wasted no time in preparing for this expected surge. MedStar Georgetown University Hospital has dramatically increased the number of ICU beds and negative pressure rooms (for infection control), developed a surge plan for nurses and physicians including cross training across specialty areas, conducted mock trainings, and ramped up PPE fittings.

The frontline of care across America now includes some of our students who are also in the military and have been called up into service in response to this outbreak.  We remain truly grateful to all for their sacrifice and commend their incredible bravery. I look forward to the day when we can gather in person to celebrate and honor their contributions.

I also wish to express my deep concern for the health and safety of our community, as we begin to experience a steady rise in the DMV area of COVID-19 cases. This increase is not a surprise. I’d like to take this opportunity to remind you to please be vigilant in protecting yourself and others if you move about outside the home. It’s easy to become complacent as we adjust to changes in our environment, but now more than ever, this is not the time for that. Please follow public health guidance and stay inside as much as possible. Just as a brief reminder:

Working on Campus
Our medical center remains operational — Georgetown University’s policy is that all faculty and staff must work remotely with very limited exceptions.  If you have not been approved to be on campus, please do not come to campus. This policy will remain in place until you’re notified otherwise. Access to campus buildings remains limited to GOCard only access. To protect the health and safety of those who must come to work, we are monitoring GOCard swipes so we can ensure only those approved to be on campus are accessing the buildings.

For those of you approved to be on campus, we’d like to remind you of these best practices:

1. If you are not feeling well, please stay home and contact your supervisor;
2. Organize work spaces and staffing to ensure 6 feet between any two people;
3. Stagger schedules to reduce shift overlaps;
4. Limit time in the lab or animal facility;
5. Wear gloves and other personal protective equipment while in the lab or animal facility;
6. Wash/sanitize hands frequently, including before and after being in your work space;
7. If two people encounter one another, stay 6 feet apart;

We recognize there may be status changes in lab work and with colleagues working in labs.  Please note, this form will remain active for the foreseeable future in the event you need to request approval of access for a reason not already approved.

New Pedestrian Access to GUMC
Parking remains free in the Hariri and Leavey Center parking lots for those approved to work on campus.  While the Lombardi lobby remains closed to foot traffic, a pedestrian walkway will be created early next week on East-West Road to allow access to the medical center via the east side of the Research Building. Lot E remains only accessible via GOCard and will be used by MedStar GUH as they begin experiencing a workforce surge to cope with the COVID-19 outbreak in our region.  Unapproved requests to access Lot E will be denied and redirected to park in Hariri and Leavey Center.

Work/Life Balance
If you’re like me, you’re probably beginning to settle in with teleworking, though clearly there are challenges that will remain. So many of you have the very difficult task of balancing your work demands with the need to teach children, and often in close quarters.  As one of our colleagues, Sonia De Assis, so aptly wrote recently, while we recognize this challenge, being with children and building memories with them “is priceless and a blessing to be grateful for when this pandemic is costing thousands of lives and disrupting many more.” I hope you can find the same silver lining as Sonia.

Finally, I’d like to encourage you to join us for our second all-virtual GUMC Community Meeting on Tuesday, April 28 at 2pm.  Be sure to watch your email for more information and the Zoom link for our next meeting in a couple of weeks.  I look forward to meeting with you again then.

All the best,
Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences
Executive Dean, Georgetown University School of Medicine

Date: March 23, 2020
Subject: Message from the Provost and EVP Healton: My Gratitude and Appreciation

Dear Members of the GUMC Community,

Last week will likely be remembered as one of the most unusual in our campus’ history. We experienced enormous change in operations that are just about as far from business as usual as possible, but impressive nonetheless. And for that reason, I wish to express my deep gratitude in appreciation of our dedicated faculty and staff who did what was needed in a short amount of time to ensure our GUMC missions continue unbroken.

Between our Biomedical Graduate Education programs and the School of Nursing & Health Studies, more than 250 courses were taught online. We know there were a few bumps, but most appeared to be due to the overload of broadcast services utilized in such a short amount of time. Soon, the School of Medicine will begin online courses when the students return from spring break. We know our faculty are ready. I remain confident that the remainder of this semester is truly in good hands.

On the research front, faculty and support teams work each day with our unique circumstances to keep critical studies continuing successfully. This challenge is complicated exponentially when factoring in fluctuating grant reporting deadlines, keeping cell lines active, and maintaining studies with preclinical animal models. Thank you to all who are working from home to support research continuity along with those who are working in laboratories – both ensuring all is not lost as a result of this remarkable situation.

To our staff/AAP, we’d be hard pressed to stay operational without your faithful support. From operations to education to research, you are a critical part of our success and I wish to thank you.

Finally, and most obviously, these past few weeks have been especially challenging for our colleagues on the front lines of patient care. We have heard the stories repeatedly of the real dangers they face in service to their patients. Sadly, it appears this is only the beginning. I don’t think it is an overstatement to say we stand in awe of your dedication and bravery.

I am greatly appreciative of all whether you’re teleworking from your new home office (a converted kitchen counter, living room or bedroom), or coming to campus because your work must be conducted at GUMC. Thank you.

I look forward to sharing my gratitude personally – or as personal as we can get in this new virtual environment – during our first virtual GUMC Community Meeting scheduled for Wednesday, April 1 at 2p. There, we’ll review operations and get updates from around our campus. Details are coming soon. I hope you’ll save the date and join me. I truly look forward to reconnecting.

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences
Executive Dean, Georgetown University School of Medicine

Date: March 15, 2020
Subject: Message from the Provost and EVP Healton: Updated Research Continuity Guidance

This document provides updated guidance regarding research activities at Georgetown. This guidance supersedes the existing research continuity policy that was developed and distributed on Wednesday, March 11.  

In recognition of the developing emergency of the COVID-19 pandemic, we must now take steps to minimize the spread of the virus, while safeguarding our most vital research operations and assets. Effective immediately, Georgetown University’s policy is that all Georgetown researchers must work remotely with very limited exceptions.

Research activities that require access to a Georgetown space—office, laboratory or otherwise—are permissible only with express and written decanal approval.  Granted permission will be limited.  For Main Campus investigators, exceptions can only be granted by the Dean of your School; for GUMC investigators, decanal approval should be sought from the Dean of the School of Nursing & Health Studies by NHS faculty, or by the GUMC Dean for Research for other GUMC faculty.  Permission will not be granted for undergraduates to engage in research in a Georgetown space.

Requests for permission to access research sites must be submitted by 5 pm on Monday, March 16 using this form.

Principal Investigators (PIs) and group leaders must implement the following immediately:

• Do not start new experiments or data collection.
• Act now to bring existing experiments and studies to a safe stopping point.
• Designate critical laboratory and other research activities and personnel.
• If you need approval for access, discuss with your Chair and Dean the basis of the request.
• Ensure that permitted personnel adhere to best practices for social distancing.

These points are discussed in more detail below.

Permissible research activities: The decision to grant an exception will be based on balancing both the short and long-term impacts of short-term disruption, with the aim of preserving research assets as much as possible, against the potential costs to public health.  We define three types of research activities:

1. Critical human subject research:

• All “non-therapeutic” human subjects research involving face-to-face contact but not the administration of drugs, must shift to remote data collection while maintaining integrity of the research, or be safely stopped. This involves both on- and off-campus human subjects data collection. Please see pertinent guidance from Georgetown and MHRI for information on how to submit an amendment to the relevant IRB to report such protocol modifications.
  
• “Therapeutic studies”, defined here as those that involve the administration of drugs or monitoring of devices that may provide direct therapeutic benefit to study participants are likely to receive quick approval to continue.  Trials with investigational treatments, including drugs and devices, are assumed to provide the potential for therapeutic benefit, and are therefore similarly likely to receive expeditious approval.
• To the extent possible, study activities that can be conducted remotely by telephone or online, such as screening or follow-up, should be done in this way.  Please see pertinent guidance from the Georgetown and MHRI IRBs.

2. Critical laboratory research activities: Projects involving live organisms that are particularly sensitive to interruption, causing severe negative impacts.  Examples include:

• Environmental/seasonal work on plants/animals – Living organisms need to be maintained and loss of animals/plants will lead to catastrophic loss of data sources and extended (a year or more) impacts on labs. For example:
  1. Mosquito diapause studies
  2. Butterfly responses to climate changes
• Live animal studies – Investigators must continue their responsibilities for existing animal colonies and experiments. For example:
  1. Maintenance of rodent breeding colonies
  2. Maintenance of drosophila lines
  3. Completion of already-started animal and plant experiments with time-sensitive protocol requirements or procedures that cannot be temporarily scaled down
• Long-term medical research requiring timely processing of samples
• Tissue culture lines that need to be maintained until such time as they can be safely stored.

3. Non-critical projects – not allowed:  Experimental research that can be paused without severe long-term negative impact on ongoing research will not be allowed to proceed.  This includes microbiological/eukaryotic cell biology work in which strains can be viably frozen, chemical / materials research in which samples can be safely stored, as well as methods development research. It is recognized that this represents a significant disruption to the research efforts of majority of our faculty, students, and postdoctoral fellows involved in experimental science.

Permission for Access: To reduce the number of critical staff to the absolute minimum, all PIs must use this Google form to submit requests for access to research sites by 5pm Monday, March 16.  Requests will be jointly reviewed by both department chairs and deans, with final authority resting with the dean.

1. Designated workers

• Each lab with permission may designate a limited number of “essential” lab members, who would be responsible for maintaining the live experimental material.
• The lab head together with the chair should manage schedules to ensure coverage.
• No individual may be compelled to come to campus for any purpose.
• People who are sick with a fever, cough or shortness of breath should not come to campus.

2. Access is primarily for maintenance or completion of experiments or already-started and scheduled research procedures

• No new experiments/studies may be started without decanal approval.
• Existing experiments/studies should be completed as quickly as possible.
• Store biological specimens as quickly as possible.  Transfer electronic data to media for remote analysis
• Animal colonies need to be maintained, but should be minimized to essential numbers.
• No new animal orders or imports will be accepted unless required for survival of specific strains; this will require approval by the DCM Director.

3. Other emergency personnel – All other labs may designate one or more members who can come in only to deal with emergencies (e.g. essential equipment that needs attention, such as -80 freezers, or liquid nitrogen storage).

4. Deliveries – In some cases, deliveries may arrive after the labs are restricted.  If so please notify the Chair so that a designated worker can safely store the package.

Best Practices: To ensure the most effective social distancing, a minimum of researchers will be allowed on campus.  Those who are granted access should abide by the following guidelines:

1. The Chair and the PIs will work together to ensure that there are as few personnel as possible in the lab at the same time

• Work spaces and staffing must be organized to ensure 6 feet between any two staff members Stagger schedules to reduce chance of overlap
• Limit time in the lab or animal facility
• Wear gloves and other personal protective equipment while in the lab or animal facility
• Wash/sanitize hands before and after being in the lab environment.
• If two people encounter one another, they must stay 6 feet apart.
• If any personnel is not feeling well, s/he should not come in!  Have the alternate replace.

To further protect the safety of the personnel

• On-campus parking will be provided to ensure that personnel do not need to use public transportation

Date: March 14, 2020
Subject: Updates for GUMC Faculty/COVID-19 Impacts

Dear Members of the GUMC Community:

As we continue to learn more about how to best keep our community safe and healthy, I’d like to pause and thank you for your hard work in preparing for educational and telework continuity. I’m also grateful for your input and patience as we work collectively to reduce the disruption the COVID-19 outbreak is having on our campus.

I’m writing today 1) to provide additional clarity on telework continuity for faculty including faculty conducting research, 2) to share information about dependent care funds now available to GUMC faculty and 3) a reminder about gatherings and meetings.

The telework continuity plan for faculty, staff and AAPs is now in full effect.  Georgetown requires faculty to work from an off-campus location for online delivery of educational instruction until further notice. Office hours and student advising must also be conducted remotely. All staff/AAPs are required to telework beginning Monday, March 16 unless considered essential.  Staff were notified Friday and their managers were also made aware.

Faculty conducting research should also work from an off-campus location unless the nature of the research requires you to be in a laboratory or if your research situation can’t be replicated in your off-campus space. A group of Georgetown resarchers are developing additional guidance for these situations to minimize disruptions in balance with necessary steps to keep our colleagues safe. To that end, Provost Bob Groves and I will share new research continuity guidance this weekend.

Just to be clear, as with staff, your return to campus is not permitted until the university lifts the telework requirement. If you have a need to come to campus during this telework continuity period, you must notify your dean for approval.

2) I am pleased to share with you information about a new resource/benefit for our faculty regarding the use of dependent care funds. Under exceptional circumstances due to the coronavirus, all full-time faculty(tenure line and full time non-tenure line) who are teaching during this educational continuity period can use dependent care funds. These funds can now be used by faculty who have child care responsibilities, and are designed to help defray costs due to added child care needs resulting from school/daycare closures during the Georgetown spring semester.

Awards of $50 per day for days when providing online instruction with a cap of $500 per faculty member through the end of 2020 Spring term will be available. 

For information about reimbursement, please contact Mary Glasscock.  

3) Finally, I’d like to remind you that we have restricted in-person events, meetings and other activities until further notice.  You are encouraged to proceed with your event virtually, using an online conference service such as Zoom. If you feel that there is a compelling reason that your scheduled event should still take place in person, please submit a request for a waiver to the Office of the Executive Vice President using this form.

Thank you again for the dedication.  I hope you have a restful and safe weekend.

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences
Executive Dean, Georgetown University School of Medicine

Date: March 11, 2020
Subject: Covid-19 GUMC Update:  Instructional Continuity, Campus Operations, and Events

Dear GUMC Community Members:

As the COVID-19 outbreak increasingly affects our daily lives here in Washington and around the world, the health and safety of our community has been our shared and deepest concern. Many colleagues across the university have been working together nearly around the clock to respond to the challenges posed by COVID-19.  I am most grateful for their work and mutual support.  Against that background, all faculty, students and staff have received a communication from President DeGioia announcing that all classes at the university will move to online instruction until further notice.

ALL CLASSES MOVING ONLINE

Later today, letters specific to the School of Medicine, School of Nursing & Health Studies and our Biomedical Graduate Education community will be sent to faculty and students. These communications will provide Information focused on educational continuity planning and Implementation. We are committed to supporting your work as teachers and learners, and to continuing to maintain a high-quality learning environment.

RESEARCH CONTINUITY

We also are committed to maintaining a supportive and uninterrupted research environment.  Later today, you also will receive guidance on research continuity.

TELEWORKING IMPLEMENTATION

For our staff, AAPs and temporary employees, the same safety concerns will lead to a significantly increased use of our teleworking policies and practice of working remotely.  An announcement of that policy and practice will be released immediately. Direct supervisors will work with each staff member to implement these practices.

OPERATIONAL UPDATES

As of now, the Medical Center’s campus buildings will remain open. Campus services including copy/mail and campus food services are available, but will be limited. Operations will be evaluated and adjusted on an ongoing basis, as needed.

EVENTS/ CONFERENCES/ CO-CURRICULAR PROGRAMMING

For the protection of our community and consistent with University policy, we will restrict in-person events as much as possible until further notice.  If you would like to proceed with your event virtually, we recommend that you consider using Zoom as an option. You can find more information about using zoom here. If you feel that there is a compelling reason that your scheduled event should still take place in person, please submit a request for a waiver to the office of the Executive Vice President using this form.

All of this important information is available on Georgetown’s dedicated COVID-19 page. Consider bookmarking it as it will be updated with all announcements.

As always, I am confident that we will work together as a community in this unique and very challenging time.  

All the very best,

Edward B. Healton, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences
Executive Dean, Georgetown University School of Medicine

Date: March 6, 2020
Subject: COVID-19/GUMC Information

Dear Colleagues:

While there have been no reported cases of COVID-19 with any connection to Georgetown, university officials are monitoring the situation closely. As you know, the situation is quite fluid and we need to think of possible scenarios and how to reduce the impact on our students and faculty.  Now is the time to be thinking about instructional continuity carefully in the event that our campus has to close.  All faculty who have classes between now and the end of the semester should prepare before Spring Break to be able to deliver all lectures and educational materials remotely for an extended period. In addition, we are working closely with our clinical partners to ensure a safe learning environment for our students in clinical rotations.

Resources for instructional continuity (including useful tips, faculty examples, and contacts) may be found at https://instructionalcontinuity.georgetown.edu/ including a preparation checklist.

●      Delivering course content online: This should include options for delivering course materials—such as course documents and course lectures—online. There are many options for locating digital versions of course materials and the library can help create electronic versions of materials that are unavailable in digital format. Lecture capture, voice over PowerPoint, and synchronous delivery of lectures are excellent ways to deliver lecture content to your students.

●      Engaging with your students: This should include options for conducting synchronous and asynchronous interactions with your students. Zoom is an excellent option for synchronous (or real time) meetings and virtual office hours. Zoom can handle up to 300 participants at a time (with availability of up to 500 by request by emailing zoom@georgetown.edu). Asynchronous engagements can include discussion board posts (for example, through Canvas) and peer e-meetings that students can complete outside of class time.

●      Assessing student progress: Should instructional continuity require longer time away from campus, it’s important to create mechanisms for assessing students. These can include quizzes and exams, graded blog and written, critical reflections, and group projects produced digitally. These are all possible in the Canvas learning management system. For quizzes and exams, there are pilot licenses for exam proctoring to ensure academic integrity.

Dahlgren Memorial Library is offering workshops to learn how to leverage the functionality of Zoom for teaching remotely. Dates for the workshops are Thursday, March 12 and Friday, March 13. Click on the links for more details and registration. Canvas courses are also available.  You can find additional information on the DML website including the fact-filled Infectious Diseases and Biohazards LibGuide.

CNDLS is also offering resources for learning how to implement remote teaching options, and will be holding daily drop-in office hours for the foreseeable future, with both virtual and in person (314 Car Barn) options. These hours will be posted on the Instructional Continuity website. If you need immediate assistance from CNDLS, please contact them at cndls@georgetown.edu, 202-687-0625, or by visiting their website. A growing set of additional resources for instructional continuity (including tips, faculty examples, and contacts) may be found here.

We expect additional announcements about educational continuity today and research continuity and other planning in the days to come. The university has set up a webpage with all announcements and additional information concerning COVID-19.  You can also find a link to it on the GUMC.georgetown.edu homepage.

We’ll continue to update you as information warrants.

Thank you,

Carole Roan Gresenz, PhD
Interim Dean, NHS

Stephen Ray Mitchell, MD
Dean for Medical Education

Anna T. Riegel, PhD
Senior Associate Dean for Biomedical Graduate Education