Dear Members of the Medical School Community,

Year-end is a good time to review a few of the teaching, research and patient- care activities of the School of Medicine. I appreciate this opportunity to share a few thoughts with you on the many ways the medical school is succeeding in its mission, through the work of its faculty, students, staff and other important contributors.

Our teaching programs include a broad range of students (medical students, undergraduates, graduate students, physician assistant students, etc.), clinical trainees (residents and fellows), and postdoctoral research trainees. In all, there are approximately 3,500 students and trainees involved in these excellent School of Medicine programs. We continue to attract highly qualified students. They are a credit to the School through their individual achievements and their commitment to public service. For example, the ratio of applicants to medical students admitted is twice the national average, evidence that our medical school remains an attractive option for students. It also is noteworthy that 88 percent of the 1998 graduating class of medical students matched in one of their top five residency choices. More than half of our 1998 graduates elected to pursue primary-care residencies. We are committed to our mission to train health-care providers for our region, with a special emphasis on provision of care for underserved populations.

We are also committed to our research mission. School of Medicine faculty remain extraordinarily productive in their research activities. Federal grant and contract funding for our faculty reached a record $245 million in fiscal year 1997-1998, second only to Harvard Medical School. This support enables the faculty to pursue vital questions in the basic and clinical sciences, to advance knowledge, promote health and reduce suffering from disease. As School of Medicine Online News readers can attest, hardly a week passes without one or more faculty members attaining national or international recognition for their work. Biomedical research productivity also adds to the economic stability of our region. An ever-growing list of biotech start-up companies have ties to UW School of Medicine research. An economic impact study shows that for every $1 the State of Washington invests in our school, there is a return of $28 to the state's economy.

We filled several key administrative vacancies with excellent people this past year. Dan Dorsa became the associate dean for research and graduate education, and Susan Marshall became the assistant dean for curriculum. Our new department chairs are Richard Veith in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences; Steve Wilson in Ophthalmology; Bill Bremner in Medicine; and Yongmin Kim, who will become chair of the Department of Bioengineering on March 16, 1999.

Despite continued uncertainties and pressures in the health-care marketplace, our clinical activities remain vibrant. This solid clinical base is essential for meeting our research and teaching missions. Occupancy remains high at our principal teaching hospitals; this indicates the importance of our service mission and shows a good working relationship between faculty and community-based providers in the care of patients. In addition, our ninth UW Physicians Network neighborhood clinic in King County opened in November 1998. The Cancer Care Alliance was also formed this year. The creation of the Alliance was a major step toward integrating clinical cancer care and research by UW medical school faculty at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, UW Medical Center, and Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center. I consider this to be a very important step that should accelerate the discovery of new approaches to treating patients with cancer.

The WWAMI Program, long regarded as a national leader in decentralized, community-based medical education, has been enhancing training opportunities for medical students and residents and providing further professional support to the region's health-care providers. For example, this year Wyoming's first WWAMI clerkships opened, one in obstetrics/gynecology and two in internal medicine. Also, two future Wyoming sites for the family medicine clerkship were selected.

These are only a few measures of achievement that indicate the enduring strength of the UW School of Medicine and its programs of teaching, training, research and patient care. As we embark on the final year of the 1990s and begin the turn of the century, I hope that you will join me in sharing pride for our accomplishments and an optimism about what lies ahead for us as a school.

My very best wishes to you for this holiday season and throughout the new year ahead.

Paul Ramsey, M.D.
Vice President for Medical Affairs
And Dean of the School of Medicine