Voices of U of U Health
Monthly Momentos: June 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.
Historic hospital groundbreaking in West Valley City, revolutionary HIV prevention drug receives FDA approval, nursing gerontology program earns five-year accreditation, and more June highlights.
Kudos
- Theresa Werner, MD, Christy Porucznik, PhD, MSPH, and Courtney Scaife, MD, completed year-long fellowships with the Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) program. Kencee Graves, MD, Rachel Weir, MD, and Kristi Smock, MD, were selected as 2026 ELAM fellows. At ELAM’s 30th anniversary celebration, U of U Health was recognized with the Institutional Award for the Advancement of Women in Medicine and the Sciences for its decades-long commitment to supporting and elevating women leaders.
- Becker’s Healthcare named Mary C. Beckerle, PhD, CEO of Huntsman Cancer Institute and associate vice president of Cancer Affairs, to its of Women Hospital and Health System Presidents and CEOs to Know in 2025. This list features leaders who champion expanded access to care, health equity, and meaningful improvements in health care delivery.
- Becker’s Healthcare named Laura Marquez, senior director of digital transformation, to its list of Women in Health IT to Know in 2025. The leaders recognized on this list are using technology to drive meaningful change by streamlining administrative processes, enhancing care delivery, standardizing workflows, and elevating overall system efficiency.
- The VA Health Systems Research (HSR) honored Adam J. Gordon, MD, MPH, FACP, DFASAM, with the 2024 HSR Daniel Deykin Award for Outstanding Mentor. Gordon, an endowed research professor and tenured professor of medicine and psychiatry at the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine, serves as chief of Addiction Medicine at the VA Salt Lake City Health Care System. This award honors HSR investigators who exhibit outstanding dedication in mentoring the next generation of researchers, particularly by fostering an appreciation of the vital input provided by policymakers, veterans, and other VA stakeholders.
Achievements in Clinical Care
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In partnership with the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation, University of Utah and University of Utah Health broke ground on the University of Utah Eccles Health Campus and Eccles Hospital in West Valley. The new medical campus will bring multispecialty care directly to the more than 725,000 residents living west of I-15, while creating new opportunities for education and economic growth.
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The Utah MRI Research Center in the Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences completed the installation of Utah’s first Siemens Free.Max scanner. This groundbreaking MRI scanner operates at a field strength of just 0.55 Tesla, a significant shift from the standard 1.5T or 3T clinical MRI units. With its advanced AI capabilities, patient-centric design, and research potential, this technology will significantly enhance both clinical offerings and research capabilities.
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U of U Health earned a HIMSS Level 7 distinction—the highest possible—for effectively incorporating the Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model in acute and ambulatory care. This distinction recognizes the coordinated efforts of clinical, support, and IT teams to improve patient safety and satisfaction, and data security through successful EMR implementation.
Achievements in Education
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The Accreditation for Gerontology Education Council granted the College of Nursing’s Master of Science Gerontology Interdisciplinary Program an inaugural five-year accreditation through March 2030. Reviewers noted strong student and administrative support, a collaborative culture, and robust resources supporting faculty and student research and community engagement.
Achievements in Research
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Wesley Sundquist, PhD, chair of the Department of Biochemistry, led more than 20 years of foundational research that resulted in the development of lenacapavir—a drug that prevents HIV infection with 99.9% to 100% efficacy. Lenacapavir is now approved by the FDA as the only HIV prevention option offering six months of protection per dose. For this work, Sundquist also received the Warren Alpert Foundation Prize, which recognizes research that advances the treatment of human disease.
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Melissa Ilardo, PhD, assistant professor of biomedical informatics, led a study uncovering genetic differences in South Korea’s Haenyeo divers that could help them survive the intense physiological stresses of free-diving. The findings, published in Cell Reports, could ultimately lead to better treatments for blood pressure disorders.
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A study led by Nina de Lacy, MBA, MD, Michael Ramshaw, and Wai Yin Lam from the Department of Psychiatry, introduced RiskPath, an open-source software toolkit that uses Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) to predict whether individuals will develop progressive and chronic diseases years before symptoms appear. The findings, published in Patterns, could transform how preventive health care is delivered.
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Donna Baluchi, MLIS, from the Eccles Health Science Library, collaborated with U of U Health faculty to conduct research about factors impacting scholarship delay for early URiM faculty in academic medicine. The results are published in Family Medicine.
Achievements in Community Collaboration
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University Neighborhood Partners kicked off Partners in the Park in June. This multi-week summer program brings University of Utah faculty, staff, students, community partner organizations, and west side residents together in local neighborhood parks. The program runs through the end of August.
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U of U Health sponsored WestFest, an annual celebration honoring the founding of West Valley City and showcasing the rich cultural heritage of the community. Held shortly after the groundbreaking of the University of Utah Eccles Health Campus and Eccles Hospital in West Valley, the festival featured performers, artisans, a fireworks show, and more.