Voices of U of U Health
Monthly Momentos: May 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.
Top place to work in health care, Moran Eye Center founding CEO retires after 46 years, Medicaid coverage expands to include oral care, new leaders, and more May momentos.
Kudos
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Becker’s Healthcare named University of Utah Health to its list of Top Places to Work in Healthcare in 2025. This list highlights organizations committed to supporting their teams through comprehensive benefits, opportunities for growth, inclusive and empowering work environments, and resources that promote a healthy work-life balance.
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Randall J Olson, MD, John A. Moran Eye Center founder, CEO, Distinguished Professor, and chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Utah, is retiring after nearly five decades of leadership. A world-renowned expert in cataract and intraocular lens surgery, Olson’s legacy includes better cataract care, hope for blinding diseases with new treatments, and a world-class eye center built from the ground up. A national search is being conducted for Olson’s successor.
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Bruce Edgar, PhD, professor of oncological sciences and Huntsman Cancer Institute researcher, was elected as a member of the National Academy of Sciences for his contributions to the scientific study of cell growth and proliferation.
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Steve Bell, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Occupational and Recreational Therapies, received the 2025 Utah Recreation Therapy Association (URTA) Legacy Award. This award honors an individual for creating a legacy through their contributions to the profession of recreation therapy and URTA.
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At the 2025 Western Institute of Nursing Conference, Paula M. Meek, PhD, RN, FAAN, received the Anna M. Shannon Mentorship Award and Andrea Wallace, PhD, ND, was inducted into the Western Institute of Nurses. Additionally, more than 60 faculty, staff, students, and post-doctoral fellows from the College of Nursing shared new and emerging knowledge in nursing science and education at this regional conference.
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Lisa Fallert, RN, chief operating officer of University of Utah Health Plans, was named among the Top 50 COOs at the 2025 OnCon Icon Awards. This award honors executives who make a significant impact through thought leadership, innovation, and exceptional leadership. Winners are selected by peer and community voting.
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Landon Welch, PharmD, a 2025 graduate in the College of Pharmacy, is one of 12 students nationwide to receive a Student Leadership Award from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. This award recognizes students with an interest in pharmacy practice in health systems who have demonstrated leadership ability.
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The Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation recognized U of U Health as a Wellbeing First Champion for having credentialling applications that are free from overly broad an invasive mental health questions. This is an important step toward removing stigma and misconceptions around health care professionals seeking psychotherapy.
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The Tetra Watercraft, part of the TRAILS program at the Craig H. Neilsen Rehabilitation Hospital, was featured in the spring 2025 issue of Physiatry Forward, a quarterly publication for the Association of Academic Physiatrists. This is the second consecutive issue to feature the U’s innovations for adaptive recreation technology.
Leadership Announcements
The following leadership roles were announced as part of a new strategic vision for U of U Health:
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Sam Finlayson, MD, MPH, MBA – System Chief Clinical Officer
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Dan Lundergan, MHA – System Chief Operating Officer while continuing his role as CEO of Hospitals & Clinics
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Charlton Park, MBA, MHSM – System Chief Financial and Analytics Officer
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Erica Bisson, MD, MPH – System Chief Medical Officer
The following individuals are stepping into new leadership roles:
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Kristina Callis Duffin, MD, MS – Interim Dean of the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine (succeeding Sam Finlayson). She will continue serving as chair of the Department of Dermatology.
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Kencee Graves, MD, FACP – Chief Medical Quality Officer (CMQO) for U of U Health, after serving as interim CMQO since June 2024.
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Alana Welm, PhD – Chair of the Department of Oncological Sciences, succeeding Brad Cairns, PhD, who served as chair for 14 years.
Achievements in Clinical Care
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As of April 2025, a team of U of U Health hospitalists provide care at Holy Cross, Salt Lake (HCSL). This extension of services, made in partnership with CommonSpirit, gives patients at Holy Cross Hospitals access to the expertise of U of U Health physicians and providers.
Achievements in Education
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Jacob George, PhD, director of the Utah NeuroRobtics Lab, was named the inaugural Solzbacher-Chen Endowed Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Utah. This first-of-its kind endowed professorship—bridging the John and Marica Price College of Engineering and the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine—epitomizes cross-campus collaboration.
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Hamid Ghandehari, PhD, professor and chair of Department of Molecular Pharmaceutics, was honored during the University of Utah Commencement Ceremony with a 2025 Distinguished Professor Award for his sustained commitment to academic excellence.
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In its 2025 Best Graduate School rankings, U.S. News & World Report ranks U of U Health’s Physician Assistant (PA) Program #3 in the nation. This marks the highest placement in the program’s more than 50-year history.
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Tracie Yellowman Tséyíníítsó, a 2025 graduate in the College of Health, was this year’s student commencement speaker. Tracie, the first known Navajo graduate to speak at a major university’s commencement ceremony, shared an inspiring message about resilience, heritage, and hope.
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Utah expanded Medicaid coverage to include comprehensive dental care to all eligible adults through a partnership between the School of Dentistry and the Utah Department of Health & Human Services. In the first month, Medicaid tracked 214 new patients who sought dental care. Through continuing efforts, the School of Dentistry recruited over 400 private Medicaid partner providers throughout Utah to augment its own 10 dental clinics.
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The Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library is in year four of a five-year, $10 million grant from the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to continue serving as the National Training Office for NLM. For 14 years, the library has been leading national training efforts for medical libraries and the public.
Achievements in Research
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Karen Wilcox, PhD, Distinguished Professor and chair of the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, was honored during the University of Utah Commencement Ceremony with a 2025 Distinguished Research Award for her renowned work in neuroscience.
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Epidemiologist and infectious diseases specialist Michael Rubin, MD, PhD, and research associate professor in epidemiology Lindsay Keegan, PhD, uncovered the hidden spread of C. difficile (C. diff), one of the most common and contagious hospital-acquired infections. The findings, published in JAMA Network Open, reveal C. diff spreads more than three times more than previously thought, remaining undetected for weeks. This discovery could spur more rigorous preventive measures that stop hidden spread of the disease.
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Julio Facelli, PhD, distinguished professor of biomedical informatics, used machine learning to find COVID-derived “molecular mimics” that are most likely to be involved in triggering autoimmunity. The results, published in ImmunoInformatics, could be used to help develop therapies to prevent autoimmunity.