Dear Colleagues,

I am delighted to announce the launch of the Integrating Medicine and Policy to Achieve Healthcare Transformation (IMPACT) Program—a new Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine Program designed to accelerate late translational (T3/T4), health services, and outcomes research across our departments and divisions.

The IMPACT Program emerged from thoughtful recommendations by a dedicated Task Force and embodies our shared vision of cultivating a vibrant, collaborative, and impact-oriented late translational research community. The program’s core mission is to recruit, retain, and support exceptional clinician-scientists at all academic ranks who are dedicated to impactful late translational, health services, and outcomes research.

We are especially pleased to name Dr. Adam Bress as the inaugural Director and Dr. Valerie Vaughn as Associate Director of the IMPACT Program. Dr. Bress, Professor of Population Health Sciences, and Dr. Vaughn, Associate Professor of Internal Medicine, are nationally recognized leaders in late translational, health services, and outcomes research. Both have exceptional track records of sustained federal research funding, high-impact publications, and dedicated mentorship. Their combined expertise, collaborative approach, and commitment to developing early-career faculty make them ideal leaders to launch and guide this transformative new program.

We also warmly welcome Ariel Keklak as IMPACT’s Program Manager. Ariel brings extensive strategic, operational, and communications experience and will play a pivotal role in supporting IMPACT’s growth, visibility, and community-building efforts.

We invite you to participate in the following IMPACT initiatives:

IMPACT Kickoff Symposium

IMPACT Mornings

IMPACT Recruiting Initiative: IMPACT is committed to partnering strategically with departments and divisions to recruit and retain exceptional clinician-scientists focused on health services and late translational research. As part of this effort, we offer matched co-recruitment funds to attract outstanding candidates whose research aligns with IMPACT’s mission. If your department or division is considering recruiting a faculty member who aligns with IMPACT’s goals, please reach out to Dr. Adam Bress (adam.bress@hsc.utah.edu), Dr. Valerie Vaughn (valerie.vaughn@hsc.utah.edu), or Ariel Keklak (ariel.keklak@hsc.utah.edu) to explore opportunities for collaboration and support.

We view IMPACT as a cornerstone of our strategy to strengthen late translational research and further amplify our national leadership in health services and outcomes research.

Your participation and support will be integral to the success of IMPACT, and we look forward to your engagement as we build this thriving new community across the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine.

Thank you,

  

Kristina Callis Duffin, MD, MS

Interim Dean, School of Medicine

 

Christopher P. Hill, D. Phil

Vice Dean for Research, School of Medicine