Spring: A Time to Take Root and Bloom

Dear Jacobs School faculty, staff, and students,

We are finally starting to feel the warmth on our faces and seeing longer days as the sun sets later in the evening. These are all cues that spring will soon be here. For me that means getting my orchids to rebloom. If my efforts pay off, these fragrant flowers with vibrant colors are beginning their growth cycles with new leaves and roots, while more mature varieties are in full bloom.

At the Jacobs School, not unlike medical schools throughout the country, this is a time when our learners are taking root and blossoming as they celebrate milestones reflective of their own tremendous growth and hard work. Fourth and final year students will experience the excitement of looking ahead at Match Day on March 17, while prospective students formally choose their medical school at the end of April, which is followed by the start of graduation season. It is definitely an exciting time.

I am thrilled to share that we will be hosting two accomplished health science leaders as keynote speakers at this year’s commencement ceremonies. Eric J. Rubin, MD, PhD, editor-in-chief of the New England Journal of Medicine will address the medical school class of 2023 on April 28, while Arturo Casadevall, MD, PhD, a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor and Alfred and Jill Summer Chair of the Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, will speak to the biomedical sciences class on May 21.  

With March also being Women’s History Month, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to the extraordinary women who paved the way for me and future generations to advance in the health sciences. There was a time when few women were students in medical schools, let alone chairs of esteemed departments or deans. Now, women are an integral part of our Jacobs School leadership team. I applaud them for their drive, their motivation, and their compassion.

These women are exemplary role models for all of our scholars, not only by shattering glass ceilings, but by providing healing and promoting hope every day.
 
Sincerely, 

Allison Brashear, MD, MBA
Dean, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
Vice President for Health Sciences