The new year 2023 is full of promise and growth for NEOMED as the University builds on initiatives launched in 2022. Some of those initiatives are highlighted below, along with some of the other most-read stories in last year’s Pulse.
Stories of growth topped the list:
AFFILIATION AGREEMENT WITH UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS
University Hospitals and NEOMED announced an affiliation agreement in June 2022 that supports the joint aim of developing leadership and deploying a transformational workforce who heal, teach and discover, and care for the underserved populations within Cuyahoga County and other Ohio counties. Among other benefits, under the agreement, UH will increase the number of clinical rotation opportunities and practice experiences for NEOMED students at UH locations and invest in onsite facilities for students and faculty at the UH Cleveland Medical Center main campus.
COLLEGE OF DENTISTRY APPROVED
At its September 2022 meeting, the NEOMED Board of Trustees approved the pursuit of a College of Dentistry to meet a dire need for more dentists in Ohio to serve rural and under-resourced populations.
LARGEST GIFT COMMITMENT IN NEOMED’S HISTORY
Less than a week after the new dental college was announced, the University received the type of community response and support needed to make the new college a reality. The endorsement came in the form of a $10 million commitment from the Bitonte Family Foundation – the largest individual amount that the NEOMED Foundation has ever received. In honor of the commitment, the College will be named, the Bitonte College of Dentistry.
NEOMED HEALTH CARE LAUNCHED
NEOMED Health Care℠ opened to the public in March 2022. The primary care facility, located on the second floor of the University’s NEW Center, was previously available only for student health services. Now employees and the public can also access the center’s full range of primary care services as well as treatment for substance use disorder.
Leadership roles
Pulse readers were also interested in updates on filling key leadership positions:
VICE PRESIDENT FOR RESEARCH APPOINTMENT
After a months-long search following the retirement of Steven Schmidt, Ph.D., as dean of Graduate Studies and vice president of research, Rebecca Z. German, Ph.D., was appointed as vice president for research, effective Nov. 7, 2022.
COLLEGE OF MEDICINE DEAN SEARCH
The search for a new dean for the College of Medicine began shortly after the retirement of former Dean Elisabeth Young, M.D. (’85), in February 2022. A search committee led by
Joseph Zarconi, M.D. (’81), FACP, continues to work with search firm WittKieffer to narrow the field of candidates.
Student milestones
It’s no surprise that student milestones garnered a lot of attention. The student stories that gained the most readers in 2022 were:
COLLEGE OF MEDICINE MATCH DAY
On Friday, March 18, medicine students, their families and friends celebrated the news of where graduating students would do their residencies. A total of 137 students matched in the national process.
CLASS OF 2022 COMMENCEMENT
On Saturday, May 7, proud family members and friends filled E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall on the University of Akron campus to cheer on the 264 graduates — four of whom who had earned dual degrees. After two years of virtual events due to COVID-19, NEOMED was once again able to hold a live event to celebrate its newest group of transformational leaders.
And finally
COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic remained a topic of high interest throughout the year, with hundreds of views of the University COVID dashboard, vaccination clinics and other updates.