Good Notes

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Monthly Momentos: January 2025

This ongoing blog series celebrates people, milestones, and achievements from across our health system. Content is adapted from monthly updates shared with the University of Utah Board of Trustees.

We wish Michael Good a fond farewelll and a warm welcome to Bob Carter, while celebrating national recognition for clinical care and communications, a new periodontics residency program, and more.

New Senior Vice President for Health Sciences, CEO for U of U Health Announced

  • President Taylor Randall announced Bob S. Carter, MD, PhD, as the next Senior Vice President for Health Sciences and CEO of University of Utah Health, starting in February 2025. Carter joins the University of Utah from Harvard Medical School where he serves as the William and Elizabeth Sweet Endowed Professor in Neuroscience and Neurosurgeon-in-Chief at Massachusetts General Hospital. His experience integrating academic and clinical teams will be invaluable as U of U Health continues to grow. 

  • Carter succeeds Michael Good, MD, who served as SVP and CEO from 2018-2024. Good led U of U Health though a period of remarkable growth, evidenced by the construction of a half-dozen major new facilities on the health campus and in the community, implementation of transformational educational and research initiatives, and recruitment of dozens of new leaders and faculty.

Kudos

  • Joey Mattingly, PharmD, MBA, PhD, vice chair of research for the College of Pharmacy, was named a 2025 Fellow of the American Pharmacists Association. This prestigious designation, awarded to only five individuals annually, recognizes pharmacists who have demonstrated exemplary achievements and outstanding service to the profession.  

  • Tim Farrell, MD, professor of medicine and associate chief for Age-Friendly Care in the Geriatrics Division, has been named the higher education representative to the Governor’s Utah Commission on Aging (UCOA). Farrell will provide research and academic insights, advise on strategic priorities, and actively participate in UCOA initiatives. 

  • Ismail Ahmed, PhD, professor of neurobiology, is one of eight scholars nationwide named as an Allen Institute 2024 Next Generation Leader. The program recognizes and supports emerging and diverse early-career researchers in neuroscience. Ahmed aims to establish an independent research group to study how neuropeptide signaling modulates physiology and behavior.

  •  Kathy Chapman, PhD, professor of communication sciences and disorders in the College of Health, will receive Honors of the American Cleft Palate Craniofacial Association (ACPA) at the 2025 ACPA annual meeting. This award is given to individuals whose lifetime of research, health care delivery, or leadership has advanced the amelioration of physical, behavioral, or social handicapping conditions of cleft lip and palate or other craniofacial anomalies.

GIA awards
2025 AAMC-GIA Awards for Excellence.

  • U of U Health’s Marketing and Communications team received national recognition with three Awards of Excellence from the AAMC Group on Institutional Advancement:

    • “Beacon of Hope,” a long-form feature story produced under the direction of Julie Kiefer, director of communications, received a Gold Award of Excellence in Print and Digital Publishing/Single or Special Issue Publications category.

    • “dêtetsi vo'i oninjakan Winding Path,” a short documentary produced under the direction of Joe Borgenicht, chief marketing and communications officer (interim), received a Gold Award of Excellence in Electronic Communications/Audio and Visual category.

    • “For the Love of Mothers,” an in-depth digital feature story produced under the direction of Nafisa Masud, communications manager, received a Silver Award of Excellence in Writing/Solicited Articles category.

Achievements in Clinical Care

  • With a $250,000 grant from the Rita and Alex Hillman Foundation, Kathi Mooney, PhD, RN, distinguished professor of nursing, and Elizabeth Sloss, PhD, MBA, RN, CNL, assistant research professor of nursing, are leading the expansion of Rural Huntsman at Home. The program focuses on expanding nurse-led specialty cancer care into more rural Utah communities across Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana.

  • In addition to being ranked the top hospital in Utah, U.S. News & World Report recently ranked University of Utah Hospital among its 2025 Best Hospitals for Maternity Care. The hospital earned the “High Performing” rating for providing highest-quality labor and delivery services.

  • U of U Health was recognized by Becker’s Healthcare as one of 100 hospitals and health centers with great neuroscience and spine programs in 2024. This list features programs that set the standard for care nationally and globally by advancing patient care, pioneering innovative research, and increasing access to critical care services.

  • U of U Health was recognized by Becker’s Healthcare as one of 64 simulation and education programs to know in 2024. This list features programs dedicated to advancing their workforce and service lines through innovative education and simulation initiatives that enable learners to master essential health care skills.

Achievements in Education

  • Between August 2023 and October 2024, faculty librarians at the Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library taught 387 educational sessions to more than 4,600 people. These sessions equip our graduates with the critical skills in information literacy and ethics needed to navigate today's AI-influenced research landscape.

  • The School of Dentistry’s new Periodontics Residency program was approved by the U of U Health Graduate Medical Education Committee. This is the school’s first new specialty residency and one of only a few periodontics residencies established in the US is the last 50 years. The program will address the national shortage of periodontists and offer critical periodontal care to underserved communities in Utah. The first cohort of residents is expected to begin in 2027.

Becker's Healthcare Badges

Achievements in Research

  • While most viruses have streamlined genomes, coronaviruses appear to be the exception. They have “extra” genes and scientists don’t know what most of them do. New research, led by Stephen Goldstein, PhD, postdoctoral researcher of human genetics, found some of these genes give the virus an evolutionary leg up—despite not producing working proteins. Learning how and why the mystery genes evolve could help scientists forecast which viral variants might be more dangerous.

  • Lorie Richards, PhD, associate professor and chair of occupational and recreational therapies in the College of Health, is leading a study to find out if stroke patients may benefit from using virtual reality devices to help regain motor skills. The new therapy could expand geographic and financial access to stroke care while providing people with more opportunities to practice crucial motor tasks.

Achievements in Community Collaboration

  • U of U Health’s newly formed Community Collaboration Council—comprised of 25 individuals from across the health sciences, hospitals and specialty clinics, and campus partners—announced the following imperatives for Impact 2030:

    • Develop community collaborations excellence through system assessment and growth.

    • Improve access to health sciences by identifying/addressing barriers to health information access.

    • Advance career pathways for the community by identifying/addressing barriers to information about careers in health care.

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