A MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN
Dear CDU friends and family,
Both the Covid-19 pandemic and the police murder of George Floyd have change plans and catalyzed actions in unprecedented ways. We did not know we would engage in current actions and strategies 6 months ago. The world has turned upside down. We are both agitated and inspired understanding that now we have a unique opportunity to our cause and advance social justice, public health and the core CDU mission. We also understand that we must express our anger, our disappointment Unique because cell phone cameras have exposed what we have long known, but somehow tolerated. Unique because a virus has reminded us and made it perfectly clear that our collective health, global economy and personal wellbeing are interdependent and dependent one each other. What will we do with this opportunity? How will we further bend the arc of the universe towards justice?
CDU was created after the“ Watts Revolt.” Birthing a university after the unrest was a big, institutional response to the pain and anger. Today’ s unrests, protests, pain and anger are in search of a big, institutional response and we have just the one, the CDU IMEP( Independent Medical Education Program). We have a longstanding remarkable partnership with UCLA where we participate in the medical education for 28 students a year( 24 of whom we help to select). The IMEP promises 60 medical students a year wholly trained by CDU faculty and perfectly aligned with the CDU mission. A big idea whose time has come.
Our last issue of the Sharpest Scalpel laid out many of the details of our planning process, which has three big threads: accreditation; building a new building; and fundraising. We are on track for a first class in 2023. As a result of the hard work of about 80 people, we will submit our self-study to the LCME in April of 2021. CDU just entered the schematic design phase with our architects for the Health Professions Education Building( HPEB), which will house the College of Medicine and the IMEP. And enthusiastically, we are gearing up for the silent phase of a fundraising campaign that will be announced in the fall. A big, institutional-level idea whose time has come!
I am asking for your help. You may be looking for ways to respond to brimming frustration and anger. The CDU IMEP will last for decades to come; it will provide opportunity for children from south Los Angeles to become doctors; it will help improve the health of south Los Angeles and it will be an economic engine that will generate $ a year. Help us make this happen by spreading the word, donating to the campaign and adding your voice to those supporting our efforts.
Deborah Prothrow-Stith, MD
DEAN OF THE COLLEGE OF MEDICINE CHARLES R. DREW UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH AND SCIENCE
CDU COLLEGE OF MEDICINE | PG. 02