Voices of U of U Health

Monthly Momentos: September 2025

Sep 24, 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.

National recognition for quality care and fostering joy at work, white coat ceremony for incoming pharmacy students, Youth Crisis Center opens, new system leaders announced, and more September highlights.

Kudos

U of U Health received a 2025 American Medical Association Joy in Medicine Award with silver status. This recognition, valid for two years, recognizes our commitment to fostering joy, purpose, and meaning among physicians and care teams. U of U Health joins a distinguished cohort of recognized health systems nationwide dedicated to enhancing organizational well-being.
Craig H. Neilsen Rehabilitation Hospital was named to Newsweek’s list of America’s Best Physical Rehabilitation Centers in 2025, ranking #4 in the region. The facilities recognized on this list exemplify the best patient care practices in inpatient physical rehabilitation and set an example for others.
Lisa Taylor-Swanson, PhD, assistant professor in the College of Nursing, was unanimously voted co-president of the Society for Acupuncture Research (SAR). The society monitors the field of acupuncture research, identifies gaps between research and practice, and hosts conferences and symposia to foster communication.
The American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education awarded two University of Utah PhD students—Lauren Naatz, MS, (molecular pharmaceutics) and Jared Seale, MS (medicinal chemistry)—a prestigious pre-doctoral fellowship for the 2025–2026 academic year. This highly competitive fellowship, awarded to only 16 individuals nationwide, provides outstanding PhD candidates with the support needed to dedicate their full attention to their research.
Donna Baluchi, MLIS, is the first health sciences librarian to officially hold a faculty role within the Leadership Through Scholarship Fellowship. The appointment confirms her transition from guest educator to permanent faculty member.
Becker’s Healthcare named Charlton Park, MBA, system chief financial and analytics officer for U of U Health, to its list of Academic Medical Center CFOs to Know in 2025. This list recognizes leaders who manage complex budgets, foster partnerships with industry and community stakeholders, and align resources to support clinical excellence and academic innovation.

U of U Health leaders accepting the 2025 Bernard A. Birnbaum, MD, Quality Leadership Award, marking 16 years as a top performer for quality care. From left to right: Terrell Rohm with a photograph of Kencee Graves, Charlton Park, David Webber, Dan Lundergan, Donna Roach, Kavish Choudhary, Darryl Barfuss.

Leadership Announcements

Kathy Wilets, MPA, was named system chief communications officer and Joe Borgenicht was named system chief marketing officer for U of U Health. Wilets and Borgenicht will lead a unified marketing and communications strategy that supports seamless experiences for patients, learners, faculty, staff, and community members.
Jim Hotaling, MD, MS, FECSM, was named inaugural chief innovation officer for U of U Health. Hotaling will lead the development of an integrated Innovation Enterprise that connects research, clinical care, education, and commercialization. He will continue serving as Associate Vice President of research for innovation and translation.
Charles (Chuck) Ray, MD, PhD, was appointed interim chair of the Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences at the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine. Ray will also continue in a clinical role in interventional radiology and in his role as editor for the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology. He succeeds Satoshi Minoshima, MD, PhD, who led the department for over a decade. Under Minoshima’s leadership, the department achieved international and national recognition, producing world-class investigators and developing education platforms adopted worldwide. His achievements were recognized this year with the Radiological Society of North America Gold Medal, the highest lifetime honor in the field. He will continue to serve on our faculty.

Families can access immediate 24/7 walk-in care for children and teens at the Youth Crisis Center.

Achievements in Clinical Care

For the 16th consecutive year, Vizient, Inc. recognized University of Utah Health as a top performer for clinical quality and accountability. Among 1,220 participating academic medical centers, U of U Health ranks #8 nationally in the 2025 Vizient Quality and Accountability Study. Additionally, U of U Health is one of only five facilities to be recognized as a top performer for ambulatory quality of care. Ranking #4 in the nation, this is the 11th year in a row U of U Health has been recognized in this category.
Huntsman Mental Health Institute opened the Youth Crisis Center, a specialized 24/7 crisis stabilization program designed exclusively for children and adolescents ages 5-17 experiencing mental health emergencies. The program addresses a critical service gap in Utah, where the suicide rate ranks among the nation's top 10.

Achievements in Education

The College of Pharmacy held a white coat ceremony for the incoming class of 2029. More than 80% of the cohort is from Utah, with out-of-state students from six different states across the country. The class spans a wide age range and includes first-generation college students, as well as students with prior experience as pharmacy technicians and in labs.
As part of an ongoing partnership with Salt Lake City School District, the School of Dentistry and the Liberty Dental Clinic screened 745 elementary students between September 2024 and March 2025. Nearly 300 students were identified for follow-up care due to moderate to severe dental needs, and 388 had no dental coverage.

The College of Pharmacy welcomes the Class of 2029 at the annual white coat ceremony.

Achievements in Research

Nasser Sharareh, PhD, research assistant professor of population health sciences, led a study that revealed surprising “danger zones” for food insecurity among new Utah refugees—including when they get their first job. The results, published in PLOS One, lay the groundwork for timely interventions that could keep people healthy and reduce food insecurity’s $53B cost to the U.S. health care system.
Gwen Latendresse, PhD, professor of nursing, is leading research-based interventions studies to treat perinatal depression for pregnant people and new moms across the state from cities to the frontier. For the one in five pregnant people who experience depression, research is changing—and saving—lives.
Aaron Petrey, PhD, assistant professor of microbiology and immunology and associate director of the U’s molecular medicine program, led a study uncovering why blood clotting malfunctions in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Petrey identified a drug that normalizes blood clotting in human cells and animal models of IBD. The findings, published in Blood, could lead to treatments that save lives and reduce day-to-day symptoms for the three million Americans with IBD.

U of U Health Plans team members helping distribute new shoes to children at back-to-school events.

Achievements in Community Collaboration

U of U Health Plans partnered with Utah Refugee Connection at Granite Park Junior High and joined the Mountainlands Health Fair in Provo to distribute more than 630 pairs of shoes to children. Additionally, our teams shared key resources with families—including Healthy U Medicaid, the Know Where to Go ER guide, and services available through the School of Dentistry, mammogram bus, and wellness bus.

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