A letter from the dean

Larry J. Shapiro, MD, executive vice chancellor for medical affairs and dean, School of Medicine

Washington University School of Medicine has an enviable record of achievement. We excel in each of our areas of endeavor. We have enormous assets in people, facilities and reputation. We have a tradition and a culture that places a high value on excellence in everything that we do. All of this requires significant financial resources beyond those currently available. This campaign and your participation can tip the balance toward achieving even greater success.

Eighteen Nobel Laureates have been associated with Washington University School of Medicine. We are world leaders in genetics and genomics and their application in the development of personalized medicine, specifically with regard to improving outcomes in cancer care and prevention. We have long been leaders in neuroscience and have conducted pioneering research in the area of Alzheimer’s disease. We are one of the world’s preeminent institutions in the development and application of imaging techniques and annually rank among the top medical schools in the U.S. in the amount of competitively awarded funding that we secure from the National Institutes of Health.

However, today there is a confluence of external and internal factors that require focused attention, strategic planning and action. An aging population in America — and a growing underserved population worldwide — have pushed traditional health-care delivery to a breaking point. We must be prepared to succeed in new models for the delivery of patient care. As well, funding from the National Institutes of Health has declined over the past decade. As a result, important work by our physician-scientists to alleviate suffering and disease is being delayed or deferred. Our response to the challenges that we face today will determine how successful we will be in the future.  

The continued support from our alumni and friends has never been more important, and I am confident that together we will continue to flourish, even in a dramatically changing world.

— Larry J. Shapiro, MD