Members of the George Washington University (GW) School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS) gathered in Ross Hall on Nov. 17 to celebrate faculty members who recently earned promotions or tenure, were granted Emeriti Faculty status, or who reached significant service milestones at the school. The event also offered Barbara L. Bass, MD, vice president for health affairs at GW, dean of SMHS, and CEO of the GW Medical Faculty Associates (MFA), the opportunity to express the school’s appreciation and gratitude for University President Thomas LeBlanc. During his tenure, LeBlanc has emphasized GW’s health care enterprise and worked to lay a foundation for continued growth and excellence.
“I would like to say that Thomas LeBlanc has fundamentally transformed the future of the GW SMHS and MFA,” Bass said in her welcoming remarks. “We owe him a tremendous debt of thanks for recognizing the essential value of an academic health care enterprise.”
Bass also emphasized the critical role patient care plays in the mission of academia. “In virtually every high-performing research university in America, the academic medical enterprise is a driver of scientific discovery of innovation, community engagement, and, of course, educational impact. Patient care is that driver on discovery, translation, implementation and educational excellence.”
As he enters the final six weeks of his tenure at GW, LeBlanc cited some of the more important accomplishments at GW’s medical enterprise, including the reintegration of the GW MFA into the university.
“As we enter our third century as a university,” said LeBlanc, “we are on a strong foundation. It's not always obvious because we’ve got day-to-day challenges starting with the pandemic, but we have a very strong foundation. This is in no small part due to the work that you do every day and your contributions to the school and medical enterprise.”
Following LeBlanc’s remarks, Bass recognized the Emeriti Faculty Class of 2021 and presented certificates to those on hand for the event. “Every once in a while, you just have to pause and kind of take time to celebrate,” she said. “We’re going to do some of that today and express some much needed gratitude to some really important people.”
Emeriti Faculty Class of 2021, GW SMHS Promotion and Tenure, and GW Service Milestone recipients.
