We welcomed a record 304 MD students in August. This includes the second group of first-year MD students to study in West Reading. A remarkable group of 29 PhD students, 232 master’s students and 22 certificate students also joined us. And 70 new faculty participated in our virtual New Faculty Orientation on September 28. Education is the driving force of our institution, and I am proud that our faculty is growing in numbers while broadening our clinical and research expertise.

This time of year also brings an important annual event: the College of Medicine’s Discovery Day. Held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center on October 27, the event featured over 300 posters and eight platform presentations, as well as a wonderful keynote address from Veronica A. Alvarez, PhD, acting chief of the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Section on Neuronal Structure, and lab chief of NIAAA’s Laboratory on Neurobiology of Compulsive Behaviors. With research as a core mission for our College, it is indeed exciting to see the investigative efforts of our community shared and celebrated.

September brought renewed excitement about the new Drexel Health Sciences Building, as the College of Nursing and Health Professions moved in at the start of their academic year. We are eager to begin our transition into the new space in the heart of University City, with MD program students beginning the 2023–2024 academic year. You will be hearing about naming opportunities for spaces in the building, which is a chance to leave a lasting legacy with the College of Medicine.

Drexel’s ongoing commitment to inclusiveness and equity was highlighted by the University’s renaming of its Office of Equality and Diversity, which is now the Office for Institutional Equity and Inclusive Culture, a name that better reflects the scope of that office’s mission. Our College’s equity and inclusion efforts have manifested in several key ways: The Institute for Women’s Health and Leadership was renamed the Lynn Yeakel Institute for Women’s Health and Leadership, honoring Lynn’s tireless efforts in the realm of gender equity. Nancy Spector, MD, senior vice dean for faculty, executive director of the ELAM and ELH programs, and professor of pediatrics, was named the Betty A. Cohen Chair in Women’s Health and executive director of the institute. Two well-received and well-attended symposiums focused on the care of LGBTQ+ patients were held over the summer.

Our clinical enterprise also continues to move forward. Work is underway on Drexel Medicine Diagnostics, our new, CAP/CLIAcertified complex laboratory. It will provide a range of in-demand testing services including microbiology, toxicology screens, viral and bacterial testing including tick-borne diseases, and COVID-19. Drexel Medicine Diagnostics will support the continuous development of cutting-edge diagnostics in genomics, toxicology, clinical chemistry and therapeutic drug monitoring. Also of note, Drexel Medicine recently launched the Epic Garden Plot electronic health record system. We are one of the first two institutions to implement Epic Garden Plot and have partnered with Epic to enhance the system to meet our education, training and research needs.

I thank you as always for your dedication to excellence across our missions. I look forward to great things from our students, faculty and professional staff in this academic year.

Charles B. Cairns, MD
Walter H. and Leonore Annenberg Dean
Senior Vice President of Medical Affairs