Message from Dean Eli Y. Adashi

February 2005

Dear Friends of Alpert Medical School,
What a pleasure and a privilege it is to be writing to you in my new capacity as dean of medicine and biological sciences. As you can imagine, the past few weeks have been marked by intense information gathering as I have sought to find out all I can from all quarters of the Division and the Medical School. It has been, in effect, a "crash course."

I continue to meet every day with the individuals and groups who constitute the universe of our School, from faculty to fundraisers, from the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid to the Office of Continuing Medical Education. While my learning curve is quite steep, the detailed knowledge I am gathering also serves to confirm what I already knew, and what drew me to Brown in the first place: this is a school on the move.

Of course, I was keenly aware of Brown's reputation as one of the country's leading liberal arts universities and home to a young, pioneering medical school. I was also familiar with Rhode Island, having previously delivered Grand Rounds presentations and attended professional conferences in Newport and in Providence. But what struck me the most upon coming to campus last year and meeting with President Simmons and Provost Zimmer was the very palpable and invigorating sense of momentum, the feeling that Brown University and its Medical School were at a transformational moment in their history. Moreover, I was very much aware of the solid and indeed critical foundation laid during Richard Besdine's extraordinarily productive interim deanship.

Although I have been at Brown for only a short time, I have already been impressed by several recent accomplishments of significant proportions. In a report in the latest issue of Nature, David Berson, a professor in the Department of Neuroscience, and his team of post-docs and graduate students reveal how mysterious cells in the eye (cells discovered by Professor Berson's own lab only three years ago) set the body's circadian clock-the regulator of alertness, sleep, hormone production, body temperature, and organ function. Equally impressive, the current issue of Science contains a study by Assistant Professor of Surgery (Research) Eugene Chin and colleagues at Rhode Island Hospital explaining how a breast and prostate cancer-causing protein is activated-opening the way to the formulation of more effective anti-cancer drugs.

Our School is at the forefront in still another area, one that could not have more relevance today: the care of war veterans. Two important and interrelated projects were recently launched. One, overseen by Professor of Orthopaedics Roy Aaron, involves nine faculty members from Brown and one from MIT who are conducting a broad-based research program in the hope of restoring natural function to amputees. The chief goal of this effort is to create "biohybrid" limbs that meld human tissue with a prosthesis controlled by an amputee's own muscles and thoughts. Also of note is the Pathways to Recovery from Combat project, whose acting director is Associate Dean of Public Health and Public Policy Terrie Wetle. Based in the Program of Public Health, Pathways is conducting several research programs in post-traumatic stress disorder, sleep disturbances, rehabilitation, and other concerns, to help veterans reintegrate into their families and communities. Clearly, both of these are examples of fertile collaboration between our Medical School and the Providence VA Medical Center, one of our affiliated hospitals.

Brown med students, too, have already impressed me with their academic accomplishments, their candor, and their commitment to medicine, social service, and the School. Misha Serruya MD/PhD'05 was named one of the world's 100 Top Young Innovators by MIT's Technology Review magazine for his work with Professor John Donoghue in developing and testing a brain implant that enables paralyzed humans to use thoughts to control their environment. I was also pleased to make the acquaintance of Melissa Donovan MD'07 and Akita Evans MD'07, who struck me as exceptionally dedicated and able individuals. A post-bac student from Columbia University, Melissa came to our School with an MPA in Urban Social Policy from Ohio State University and with considerable work and service experience, including three years with the Ohio Arts Council. Akita, in turn, came to the School through the Early Identification Program. She majored in chemistry at Tougaloo College in Mississippi, where she was a Presidential Scholar. She also worked for a summer as a research assistant at the University of Helsinki, Finland.

In the months to come I plan to focus my energy on enhancing our School's relationship with its affiliated hospitals by fostering a mutual sense of opportunity and trust, a can-do spirit and a shared vocation. I likewise plan to examine the School's educational and research missions while seeking possible targets for improvement. Through it all, it is my charge and goal to do what I can to assist Alpert Medical School and its biomedical and public health sciences in reaching its full potential. We are truly going places. I pledge to keep you informed along the way.

The interest and support conferred on our School by its leadership, alumni, faculty, staff, students, parents, and friends is, frankly, inspiring. Who would not feel emboldened to aim high and far, knowing that so many people are so willing to invest expertise, energy, and financial resources in our School. As I undertake my duties, I do so with an acute awareness of both the core values and the enormous promise of our School. This is a new day for Alpert Medical School, and I thank you in advance for being a part of it.

Sincerely,