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A Letter from the Dean

Developing leaders who will help tackle our most vexing challenges in health care stands at the heart of our mission at the Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine.

But what does this mean and why is it important?

Dartmouth, like other great academic institutions, has been and must continue to be a place that pushes the boundaries of education innovation, discovery, and global engagement in order to improve lives.

The Geisel School of Medicine embraces these lofty ideals.

In order to solve big problems, we need investment in major research that can find answers to befuddling questions. Our Medical School faculty members account for the lion's share of research funding and activity at Dartmouth College (about 70%), and we are home to some of the world's top talent in computational biology and bioinformatics, cystic fibrosis, delivery science, cancer, microbiology and immunology, and neuroscience research.

On a related note, I'm proud to share that in comparison to all other U.S. medical schools, for NIH research funding per faculty member, Geisel is now ranked #11 in the country. This is impressive given the relatively small size of our faculty compared to other medical schools. And our Departments of Family Medicine and of Microbiology and Immunology are ranked #2 and #7 in the nation, respectively, for total NIH funding. (Source: Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research, an independent nonprofit.)

In order to solve big problems, we must be at the forefront of education reform and innovation. Ensuring that our medical and graduate students acquire the knowledge they need, maintain a strong sense of humanism, and take a translational approach to medicine and discovery is at the core of the new curriculum being developed at Geisel, as is taking advantage of innovations in technology and learning science.

Another key aspect of this effort is preparing Geisel students to be leaders. Our students are showing great potential in this area, as they continue to be tapped for top national posts in the AAMC, global health organizations, and the LCME, the accrediting body for medical schools.

Finally, in order to solve big problems, we need to be engaged in those problems. We're increasing our commitment to establishing or reinforcing several partnerships here and abroad. These efforts range from programs in Peru, China, and Rwanda, to education and research experiences in underserved urban, rural, and Native American communities in the U.S. The Dartmouth long-standing example of embracing the world's troubles as our own guides our work in global health.

Taking on the world's greatest concerns demands great leadership. That's why I speak for the entire Medical School community when I express how excited we are that Dr. Philip Hanlon (D'77) will lead Dartmouth as its 18th President. I've had the opportunity to speak with Phil on several occasions recently, and I can tell you he's committed to Dartmouth—and Geisel—being places that tackle the world's greatest problems.

Thank you for being an important part of the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth.


Wiley "Chip" Souba, M.D., Sc.D., M.B.A.
Vice-President for Health Affairs, Dartmouth College
Dean, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth


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