Mission Area Updates – I
Good morning!
We are fast approaching the final quarter of this fiscal/academic year. So, this week and next, I’d like to share with you some updates from our mission areas of academics, research and clinical care. This two-topic VC Notes will start with items representing our education and discovery efforts. Next Friday, I will cover some patient care-related noteworthy items.
There are LOTS of activities within the Medical Center worthy of sharing publicly – more than what I can cover in VC Notes. What is listed below and in next week’s column are just samples of the fruits of your work.
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Our research mission is thriving.
You’ve heard me mention recently that we are putting a lot of focus on growing and strengthening the Cancer Center and Research Institute as part of a long-term plan to gain National Cancer Institute designation. Those efforts are already yielding positive outcomes as we’ve recently been able to recruit new faculty who bolster our already strong team of researchers. I’m excited about the positive momentum in our cancer-related areas and look forward to more progress in the coming months and years.
Speaking of research faculty, as part of the current UMMC strategic plan, work continues on development of a new productivity-based compensation structure for that group. Listening sessions and open forums are being held now to glean from research faculty what they consider important to be included in a new plan. A task force will be working over the next several months to develop a new plan, which will likely be implemented in FY26 following a “shadow” year that helps everyone get familiar with the new plan and its impact.
Our faculty also continue to excel at procuring extramural research and programmatic funding. In the current fiscal year through January, 98 Medical Center faculty and staff have garnered 139 sponsored program awards totaling more than $50 million. Of that total, 95% were awarded from federal organizations with the remaining 5% awarded from professional organizations and industry. In the same time frame, 305 submissions have been processed through the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs and Office of Clinical Trials.
Internally awarded research funds through the Intramural Research Support Program aid many faculty to seek and receive extramural support. Since 2005, investments of more than $3.6 million have been awarded to UMMC research activities via the IRSP program, and these investments have helped drive $69.77 million in external funding to the institution.
Success breeds success and this is certainly playing out with Medical Center-sponsored research.
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The academics star is also shining bright.
The total number of students, residents and fellows at the Medical Center is growing. We’ve gone from 2,852 in academic year 2019 to 3,114 this year, which is a 9.2% increase over those five years. We are a higher education institution, and our foundational charge is to train the next generation of health care professionals. It’s a testament to our commitment to that responsibility that our schools annually produce highly accomplished and capable graduates that our state desperately needs.
Many of these students will be completing their program this year and will be awarded their newly earned degree during the 68th UMMC Commencement exercises. Held annually at the Mississippi Coliseum, it will be on May 24 this year at 10 a.m. It’s one of my favorite events of the year, and it’s invigorating to see all the energetic faces of students in cap and gown who are eager to start a new career or enter a new chapter of an existing one.
Turning attention to our teachers and academic leaders, I want to highlight the work being done through the Faculty Focus program. This initiative, sponsored by the Office of Faculty Affairs, is aimed at faculty development and engagement, and has hosted or co-hosted several events this year. So far, in AY24, 474 faculty members have attended a Faculty Focus event. This and the recently adopted Faculty Appreciation Week are results of faculty surveys and have been great in fostering a community of academic excellence among our schools.
The School of Health Related Professions is putting the finishing touches on a transformative multi-year plan to drive progress in key areas like student preparation, faculty development and community engagement. A couple of initiatives established within the school through the plan will be the formation of an advisory council and a new fundraising drive to aid in student and professional development.
Also focusing on supporting student growth outside the classroom, the School of Medicine has provided 47 students this academic year with financial support to attend a conference at which they are a presenter, with 26 more applications pending. A little more than a year old, this program, made possible through development funds, has already provided more than $41,000 for student travel.
This summer, the School of Nursing will enroll 170 pre-licensure nursing students – 120 in Jackson and 50 at the school’s Oxford location. An effort to meet the ever-changing and growing workforce demands for nurse staffing in Mississippi, this program will prepare graduates to step into nursing roles immediately.
The School of Dentistry held its first after-hours clinic last month. SOD students, staff and faculty provided care to patients who are unable to make appointments during regularly scheduled hours. The pilot was the winning entry in the school’s first Change4Good Transformation Challenge that spurs mission-focused innovations to improve patient care and the care team experience.
The School of Population Health’s Myrlie Evers-Williams Institute, which focuses on health disparities at the community level, launched the Teen Mom Study in 2023. It is believed to be the first interventional study aimed at improving cardiometabolic health outcomes in pregnant, minority adolescents in the U.S. In partnership with the federal Women, Infants and Children nutrition support program, this initiative strives to serve rural families and empower pregnant teens to prioritize and improve their health.
The School of Graduate Studies is seeing growth in the number of grant proposals submitted by their students. Roughly 60% of second-year or higher students applied to an external funder according to data pulled a couple of months ago, so that percentage is likely even higher now. And, to date, those fellowship requests have yielded a 54% success rate. Establishing a strong and consistent record of funding so early puts these students on the right path to a successful career. Recognition also goes to faculty mentors who played a part in this success.
Our academic and research missions are strong – and getting stronger. This work is our core identity and what puts the “academic” in academic medical center. Through it, we end up touching nearly every person in Mississippi. It is vitally important in our overall goal to create A Healthier Mississippi.