(Editor's note: On April 30, Joseph Silva, dean of the school of medicine and CEO of the health system, delivered his 2004 State of the School of Medicine address, which is reprinted here.)

I'd like to report on some of the accomplishments of the past year and highlight a few of the major changes under way at the School of Medicine that are strengthening our teaching, research and patient care programs and will have an impact on the UC Davis Health System for years to come. Two of the biggest changes involve our ongoing restructuring of the dean's office and the building of a new education center in Sacramento, which will further enhance our ability to integrate school and medical center teaching programs into a single, integrated health system.

Transitions ahead

As you may know, I recently announced my plans to step down as dean of the school by June 2005 to return to my previous faculty position in the Department of Internal Medicine. It's been an honor and a privilege to serve the school and the health system as dean for the past seven years, and previously as chair of the internal medicine department. During this time I've seen tremendous growth in our research and clinical programs and in our collaborations with public and private groups, which are improving the health of residents throughout the Northern California region.

Our telemedicine program, for example, continues to explore innovative solutions for California residents and their health care providers who need access to specialized medical care and education. A novel project, funded by the California Telemedicine and eHealth Center and The California Endowment, combines the clinical skills of rural students in our family nurse practitioner/physician assistant program with access to telemedicine specialty services at the medical center via portable satellite terminals. Without the connectivity of the portable satellite terminal, rural patients would need to travel significant distances to obtain specialty care. The portability of the satellite terminal enables us to reach many California communities throughout the state that have geographic and/or telecommunication barriers to traditional telemedicine services.

Our focus on translational research is also making basic science findings relevant to the practicing physician. In 2001, a husband and wife team from the Department of Biological Chemistry and the M.I.N.D. Institute began investigating the curious incidence of tremors and ataxia in grandfathers of children with fragile X syndrome, the leading cause of inherited mental retardation. In less than three years, they brought together specialists from radiology, pathology, neurology, biological chemistry, and the M.I.N.D. Institute, who identified the clinical, molecular genetic, and neuropathologic features of a new neurological disorder called FXTAS. Their recently published study in JAMA (The Journal of the American Medical Association) was the first public account of the penetrance of FXTAS in fragile X families, combining the efforts of clinicians, statisticians, and basic scientists. International response to this study, from researchers, laypersons and practicing physicians, has been overwhelming.

It's against this backdrop of innovative care and focus on translational research that Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef launches our search for a new dean, who will have the title of Vice Chancellor for Human Health Sciences, as well as the Dean of the School of Medicine, and will have the director of the medical center reporting to the position.

We've also added new assistant dean positions over the past year and a half to further enhance our efforts to integrate programs within the school and medical center and beyond.

Pediatrics professor Jesse Joad was named to a new assistant dean of faculty development and diversity post to help promote gender and cultural diversity and faculty development at the school and medical center. Jim Nuovo, a professor of family and community medicine, has been nominated as an assistant dean for our graduate medical education programs, and Lars Berglund has been nominated as an assistant dean to direct our clinical research programs. The dean's office, along with other campus leaders recruited to direct major research initiatives, such as the new genome center, will further build the school and medical center's reputation as a leader in training the next generation of physicians, conducting innovative research and providing excellent patient care.

New facilities

The decision to build a new education center in Sacramento is another major initiative that's under way at UC Davis. Last November the UC Regents approved preliminary plans to establish a new building in Sacramento in 2006, and later this year they'll review final details of the project. While we will continue to be a multi-site campus, with outstanding research programs in both Sacramento and Davis, the new center will serve as the school's primary training facility, enhancing a sense of community among students, faculty and staff.

The $40 million facility, to be located at 45th and X Streets, will meet the immediate need for modern, state-of-the-art classrooms, an expanded library, and closer proximity to the dynamic clinical care environment at the medical center for first- and second-year students. It also will serve as a hub that celebrates life-long learning, fosters the development of new and innovative instructional approaches, and enhances interaction and communication among students, residents, faculty, researchers, technology partners and others in the medical field.

Many other new facilities and expansion projects are under way. Driven by the need for updated research and patient care areas, as well as to comply with a state law that sets seismic safety standards, the new construction projects are transforming the Sacramento campus. These include the building of the Surgical and Emergency Services Pavilion, Oak Park Research Center and Child Care Center, and the expansion of the UC Davis Cancer Center, Central Plant and Davis Tower floors.

These new facilities will give our students, researchers and practitioners the opportunity to improve the practice of medicine. We're already using the latest technology to enhance our training programs and patient care. The simulation suites in our center for virtual care support traditional training programs and give students an additional way to learn and practice basic medical procedures. Our electronic medical record initiative will hit a major milestone this month when our primary care clinic in Folsom converts fully to a paperless and filmless environment.

It's an exciting time to be practicing medicine, and at UC Davis we're creating an environment that fosters excellence in teaching, research and patient care. I invite you to support our ongoing efforts to improve the health and well-being of residents throughout the region and beyond. -- Joseph Silva