Letter to the Community
It’s fair to say that these past few years have not only challenged us but also changed us—as individuals, as health care systems, and as a society.
With change comes opportunity—and an invitation to become better. What I’ve learned is that my most important job is to listen. Quiet my own mind so that I can hear what’s on others’. Not just hear the words but understand their meaning. Spend far more time learning about the problem before offering a solution. And, most difficult, accept the possibility that I might be changed by what I hear. Because it is only through listening to the community’s wisdom that I believe we can achieve our shared goal: for each of us to live a healthy life.
In Utah, we don’t have to look far to find passionate and brilliant partners who share this goal. Together, we’re tackling some of the most important health issues that face our community. We’re recognizing that our mental health is as important as our physical health, finding new ways to increase health care access in rural areas, addressing the crushing toll of opioids on our community, and embracing a holistic approach to prevent diabetes. It’s often tempting to focus on alleviating the symptoms. But we know that is not our end goal. Instead, we’re looking upstream and downstream to address the root causes and long-term effects of these complicated issues.
President Taylor Randall has set an ambitious goal for the University of Utah: to have unsurpassed societal impact. We hope that as you read the stories in this report, you will share in our optimism that together we can make that happen.
Thank you for being a part of this remarkable community.
Michael L. Good, MD
Chief Executive Officer, University of Utah Health
A. Lorris Betz Senior Vice President for Health Sciences
