Welcome to the research home of the Department of Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson. As Vice Chair for Research, I am responsible for meshing our diverse research and academic missions and developing comprehensive approaches to expand our research potential across the department. As a translational scientist working on integrative mechanisms of cardiopulmonary disease, I have first-hand knowledge of the inherent challenges in crossing the divide between basic science and developing new treatments for patient care. These challenges, however, can be surmounted by developing comprehensive and highly collaborative programs across all research disciplines and fostering an atmosphere of inquiry at all levels, from medical students to faculty. As the largest department in the college with 14 divisions, 250 faculty physicians and several affiliated centers of excellence, we intend to lead the way.
The UArizona College of Medicine has a long history of academic excellence. One of the central roles of the Department’s Office of Research is to facilitate academic growth by providing an extensive array of support for junior investigators as they begin their independent careers. Programs have been established to provide structured mentoring to help junior faculty navigate the complexities of obtaining extramural funding, including a comprehensive internal pre-grant submission process, seed grants for preliminary studies and support for writing to meet requirements of the University’s Institutional Review Board (IRB), Office for the Responsible Conduct of Research (ORCR), and Human Subjects Protection Program (HSPP). As part of our commitment to excellence, we have expanded our research opportunities for medical students, residents and fellows with the expectation that all will incorporate research into their careers. A central component of these efforts are our current programs to develop novel multidisciplinary collaborative teams to bridge the gap between basic science and clinical departments and foster highly translational studies to address the complexities of modern medicine.
I encourage you to follow the links on this page to our Clinical Divisions in order to fully appreciate the breadth and commitment of our research mission across the entire Department. I am personally committed to encourage academic excellence in the Department of Medicine from the first semester of medical school to emeritus faculty and welcome all inquiries and suggestions to that end.