Commemorating Juneteenth

Tomorrow our nation, and we in the Emory community, celebrate Juneteenth, the annual celebration commemorating not only the end of slavery, but also the extraordinary culture and achievement of the African American community and its countless contributions to the fabric of the United States.

I hope you had the opportunity to tune in to Dr. Marion Hood’s powerful and inspirational presentation Giving Voice: The Rest of the Story with Dr. Marion Hood yesterday. If you couldn’t join the event live, I urge you to view Dr. Hood’s moving story online .

As Dr. Hood’s message reminds us, Juneteenth is a day not only for celebration of a profound historical event in our nation, but also for reflection and education. While diversity, equity, and inclusion are core values and a critical focus of the Woodruff Health Sciences Center and Emory Healthcare, I recognize that ensuring racial equality and eliminating social injustice are works in progress that require our constant effort and attention. I share your commitment to continually striving to make ours an equitable and inclusive community for all.

This Juneteenth, I pledge to learn more about how I can personally contribute to the dismantling of racism in our community and in our country. I hope you will do the same.

Please direct questions and comments to evphafeedback@emory.edu.

Jonathan S. Lewin, MD, FACR
Executive Vice President for Health Affairs, Emory University
Executive Director, Woodruff Health Sciences Center
CEO and Chairman of the Board, Emory Healthcare

Ramalingam named executive director of Winship

Suresh S. Ramalingam has been named executive director of Winship. He has served as Winship’s deputy director since 2016. He begins his new post July 1.

Ramalingam will preside over the largest expansion in Winship’s history, including the construction and opening of a new 17-story cancer facility on the campus of Emory University Hospital Midtown. He will also lead Winship as it seeks renewal of its NCI designation.

In addition to his Winship duties, Ramalingam serves as assistant dean for cancer research at SOM, where he is also professor of hematology and medical oncology, director of the Division of Medical Oncology, and the Roberto C. Goizueta Distinguished Chair for Cancer Research. Read more.

In Brief

Emory Healthcare welcomes new CFO

Brad Haws will join Emory Healthcare as its new chief financial officer (CFO), effective Aug. 17, 2021. Haws brings 30 years of financial leadership experience in health care to the position. He joins Emory Healthcare from University of Iowa Health Care where he was associate vice president and CFO. In this role, he had oversight for all financial operations, including revenue cycle finance, accounting, debt structure management, investment strategy, third-party contracting, risk management and strategy development.

Arriola appointed dean of Laney Graduate School

Kimberly Jacob Arriola, executive associate dean for academic affairs in RSPH and Charles Howard Candler Professor of Behavioral, Social, and Health Education Sciences, has been appointed dean of the Laney Graduate School and will assume her duties Sept. 1. She also will join the Office of the Provost leadership team as vice provost for graduate affairs. Arriola will succeed Dean Lisa A. Tedesco, who steps down at the end of August for a sabbatical prior to pursuing special projects.

New Brain Health Personalized Medicine Institute

Emory is establishing the Brain Health Personalized Medicine Institute. Led by Allan Levey (neurology), the institute will include membership comprised of faculty throughout Emory and the Emory Brain Health Center who share an interest in improving brain health patient outcomes through personalized medicine and data science. Read more.

Emory Johns Creek expands

Emory Johns Creek Hospital recently added two new floors and 40 additional beds to the existing hospital. The project adds approximately 70,000 square feet to the existing patient tower and will contain medical, surgical and oncology patient rooms and nurses’ stations. Also opening is a new parking deck that will provide 640 parking spaces. Read more.

2021 Health Care Heroes

David Stephens, WHSC vice president of research, won with the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award for his longstanding career in infectious diseases, unwavering dedication to bettering the lives of people. Wilbur Lam (hematology and oncology) won in the Health Care Innovator/Researcher category for his work evaluating and verifying potential new COVID-19 diagnostic tests. Gordon Ramsay won in the Allied Health Professionals category for his work in identifying early signs of autism in children and for his leadership in creating the Marcus High School Internship Program in Autism Spectrum Disorder Research. Read more.

State of the SOM

Dean Vikas P. Sukhatme delivered the 2021 State of the School of Medicine address earlier this month. He noted several of the school’s record achievements in the past year, including reaching its highest ever ranking in NIH funding—14th, up from 19th—and having one of its departments—pediatrics—ranked first in the nation for NIH funding by the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research. He also discussed the many ways the SOM contributed to Emory’s COVID-19 response. View the address here.

Deborah Watkins Bruner is being honored as one of the champions and changemakers of cancer prevention, early detection, and symptom science by the National Cancer Institute in commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the National Cancer Act.

Carolyn C. Clevenger (SON), was appointed by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp to serve on the Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce.

Dorian Lamis (psychology) was one of this year’s recipients of the Albert E. Levy Award for Excellence in Scientific Research, established to recognize the contributions of Emory faculty members to the advancement of scientific knowledge.

Jane Meisel has been appointed to represent the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) on the board of directors of the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC).

Carolyn Meltzer has been selected for the 2021 Distinguished Investigator Award from the Academy for Radiology and Biomedical Imaging Research.

Raul Nogueira (neurology) was one of this year’s recipients of the Albert E. Levy Award for Excellence in Scientific Research, established to recognize the contributions of Emory faculty members to the advancement of scientific knowledge.

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