I am proud to announce that the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) has renewed our full medical school accreditation for eight years, the maximum time allowable. This extraordinary achievement would not have been possible without the diligent work of our LCME Steering Committee, chaired by Donna Russo, PhD, and a number of self-study committees chaired by faculty and students. This recognition highlights our dedication to providing an outstanding medical education, and it reinforces the value of our transformative community-integrated approach to clinical education, training, research and care across our regional campuses. My profound gratitude to everyone who is involved in medical student education, departmental leaders, regional campus leaders and particularly to the students, faculty and professional staff who participated in the reaccreditation process.

Another cause for both pride and gratitude: Discovery Day — our annual day of research — was held in person at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in October. More than 270 students, postdoctoral researchers, medical residents and fellows presented posters outlining their research on a range of fascinating topics. Six PhD students also gave platform presentations. We are grateful to the mentors who guide these promising investigators, to alumni and others who volunteered their time and wisdom to serve as judges for the event, and to the faculty, staff and student organizers who made it run smoothly for all in attendance.

The College’s research enterprise is core to who we are, and we are all so proud of those who shared their work with us at the event. Our research productivity has also been reflected in the growth of our research expenditures to $42.5M (up 30% from 2020).

We are excited about the progress being made on the new Health Sciences Building, which will bring our educational and administrative areas together in University City, allowing for greater ease of collaboration and cooperation with Drexel colleagues across the University. We expect the building to be finished in the fall of 2022 and to have everyone in their new locations by the beginning of the 2023 academic year. In addition, the planning for the new research tower is proceeding on schedule, with the goal of moving our entire research enterprise to University City by 2027.

The last two years have also been marked by profound challenges and loss. In October, our community was devastated by the unexpected death of Anthony Romano, PhD, who was a driving force in medical education at Drexel and its predecessor institutions for more than 30 years. He was a warm, kind and generous educator and colleague. Many of us have experienced losses during this time, and it is important to acknowledge these, and to care for ourselves and each other. All Drexel faculty, professional staff and graduate students, as well as members of their family and household, can reach Drexel’s Employee Assistance Program at 888.881.5462.

I hope that you find the holidays to be restful, fulfilling and rejuvenating. We have much more to accomplish together in the new year and beyond.