Annual Department Town Hall Meeting with Dean Brown

November 23, 2021

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November 23, 2021

Presentation by: Dean Nancy Brown

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00:00Buddy come to our Cancer Center grand
00:04rounds and today we have a very special
00:07grand rounds with the state of the
00:09school and state of the Cancer Center.
00:12But Dean Brown, most of you have
00:14met her in in the various time
00:16she's come and spoken to us.
00:18But those of you may be hearing
00:20that Dean Brown for the first time.
00:21As you know, Dean Brown is
00:23the gene and David Wallace,
00:24Dean of the School of Medicine and also
00:27the CNH longer with internal medicine.
00:29She's a Yale alum.
00:31She went to undergrad here and was
00:33an MVP major and I think arore.
00:35From what I recall in earned her
00:37medical degree from that other school.
00:39But starting with H.
00:41And then did majority of her time it
00:43at Vanderbilt and training in medicine
00:46and a fellowship in nephrology and
00:48has a laboratory in basic science
00:51focused on transport mechanisms.
00:53I think all of you who know Dean Brown
00:56also knows she's been committed to the
00:58training of the physician scientist
01:00and during her tenure at Vanderbilt,
01:02started the Elliot Newman Society to
01:04support the development of physician
01:07scientists and also co-founded the
01:09Masters Program for Clinical investigation.
01:12She has numerous leadership roles.
01:13I don't think I need to go through
01:15the all of those,
01:16but I think for today's agenda
01:19and what we have seen,
01:21Nancy as she's arrived.
01:22He's LED us through the COVID base,
01:24but has also importantly brought the
01:27community together in the past 18
01:29months that she has been here and
01:32having participated in these forums.
01:34I will tell you that this is meant
01:36to be interactive.
01:37I suspect Nancy will give us a
01:39little bit of this highlights and
01:40then I hope we can.
01:42Use the zoom format to ask
01:45Dean Brown questions.
01:46So with that being brown,
01:47welcome to the Cancer Center.
01:49We're really happy to have you
01:51and talk come and talk to us.
01:52Thank
01:53you and that's exactly right.
01:55I I do these talks and go from
01:58department or center to center and
02:01I'll review what I call the clip
02:03notes of the state of the school and.
02:06Try to highlight some particular kudos
02:08for members of this Cancer Center.
02:10I hope all that will take about 15 to
02:1320 minutes and that the remainder of the
02:16time will have four open conversation.
02:19And so, uh, let me start by saying,
02:22you know we have.
02:24Recruited a number of leaders
02:27in the last year.
02:29Two new department chairs,
02:31anesthesiology and urology,
02:33so certainly urology.
02:35Relevant to this Cancer Center,
02:37and Isaac Kim is a prostate cancer
02:40specialist and then of course with great joy.
02:44Eric Weiner, who will start in
02:47February 1st as the director.
02:49Some other important recruits,
02:51I think in terms of education,
02:53Jessica Lousy deputy Dean Arnie
02:55Dante's joined us in July as deputy
02:58Dean of finance and administration
03:01and then leading now for a year.
03:04The work around physician scientist
03:06development is keep toad and associate
03:08Dean for HealthEquity research.
03:10Of course, Marcellinus Smith,
03:12who was also an important member of this.
03:15Uhm?
03:15This center it's been a year
03:18of much to celebrate.
03:21Joan Steitz,
03:22who's a member of this center,
03:24seems to win an award every week.
03:25But in particular the Wolf Prize in medicine.
03:30Marcelo was tapped as a member
03:32of the National Academy Medicine
03:34and Liping Chen as a member of
03:36the National Academy of Sciences.
03:40There are a. Yeah, I want to highlight
03:44that that we are really encouraging
03:47you to celebrate the accomplishments
03:50of not just the faculty but the staff.
03:52And they need not be the sort of
03:55standard accomplishments but can
03:57be good citizenship and you know.
03:59So in that is in the Ysm news
04:02and recognition which comes out
04:04every Wednesday morning and is
04:06one of the highlights of my week.
04:07And there's a button there at the
04:09bottom you can share good news,
04:11we've rewritten are.
04:13Mission statement and that was an
04:17extraordinary experience via zoom,
04:18but I think it has landed well.
04:21Then I won't read it to you.
04:22I think you have all seen it.
04:24We've done a lot of work around.
04:27Trying to make our promotion and an
04:30appointment process is more transparent,
04:33but that's work that's been led by Sam
04:35Ball and Jonathan Grauer and I would
04:38encourage you to look at the Oopd website,
04:41which is really quite user friendly
04:44and has documents such as the grid of
04:47the faculty tracks and the ranks and
04:50positions and and I think in general
04:53faculty associated with the Cancer Center
04:55have a pretty good understanding of.
04:58What their career trajectory looks like
05:00and what it what is required for promotion
05:03on different tracks but not always.
05:06And so this is a good resource.
05:08We have also recently been focusing
05:11on creating a forcing function for
05:13annual conversations with faculty to
05:15make sure that they have in meaningful
05:18way and you'll be hearing more
05:20about that in the next few months.
05:23Uhm?
05:23Heavy emphasis on leadership and on
05:26helping people develop their talents,
05:29not just in in science or
05:31clinical work and education,
05:32but in terms of executing
05:35on how things happen.
05:38Related to that,
05:39I think very much so are our efforts
05:42to enrich our community in terms of
05:45diversity and to create a community
05:47for belonging and posted on the die.
05:51Uh,
05:51office of the page now is our
05:55strategic plan for DI for faculty.
05:58Coming soon will be our strategic plan
06:01for students and we're in the process
06:03of writing the same plan for staff,
06:05the the fundamentals of the faculty
06:09plan are in fact mentorship,
06:12sponsorship, so really creating
06:15opportunities for our faculty.
06:19And I would say proactive.
06:21Mention that again,
06:22and this is part of the reason
06:24for emphasizing the importance
06:26of annual conversations and what
06:28we call stay interviews.
06:29But but encouraging people to.
06:33Seek a.
06:36To seek what our faculty need and to
06:39invest in them early and not wait until
06:42they've been recruited somewhere else.
06:45Come as part of our.
06:48Efforts to increase diversity.
06:50We have focused,
06:51for example,
06:52on retention of our students and
06:55our trainees into our trainees
06:58and our faculty and two.
07:02Exercises that I would highlight one is
07:04the intersection science Fellow Symposium.
07:06We just held our second in November
07:09where we bring some of the best and
07:12brightest postdoctoral fellows who
07:15emphasize diversity to present their
07:17work to a national form and also
07:19provide career development.
07:21It's a wonderful place to start to connect.
07:24With people we might like to recruit
07:27from the work of Steve Hewitt in
07:30India now in our residency program has
07:34increased our number of our proportion
07:37of underrepresented minorities within
07:39our our residents and fellowship to 24%,
07:41which is a significant increase.
07:43And now of course our work is to
07:46to encourage people to stay on as.
07:50As a faculty. In terms of
07:53promoting the careers of women,
07:55I think some of you may have seen recent
07:58story that we were awarded a second
08:00grant from the grant from the Doris
08:03Duke Foundation to provide funding to
08:05assist with COVID and and as you know,
08:08we invested in GAP funding during
08:11the COVID pandemic and our data
08:14suggests that has had a favorable
08:16effect on the careers of women faculty
08:19at Yale such that we don't seem to
08:22reflect the national average are.
08:23Women, in fact they have actually
08:25published more than her men,
08:26faculty and all have had a
08:28significant increase. Post COVID.
08:29Uhm?
08:30So we have a lot of work to do in
08:33terms of culture and climate and and
08:36much of it will involve executing our
08:39strategic plan in the coming years.
08:42In terms of education,
08:44we had over 6200 applications for 104
08:48positions and and this the student
08:50body is as diverse and excellent
08:52as it has been in recent years.
08:56We as you know have capped our student
08:59unit loan to $15,000 such that for
09:02those students who receive financial aid,
09:05the maximum debt with which they
09:08graduated $60,000 and the average
09:10debt with which medical students.
09:12Graduate now is
09:17$203,000 nationally.
09:20We have reversed a trend and declining U.S.
09:25news and World Report rankings
09:27and and we're number 10.
09:28Last year, new US News and World Report,
09:31of course is a very.
09:34Pickle and and dumb.
09:36I would say reputation based
09:39and almost magical evaluation,
09:40but we are working to get the word
09:43out about all the things that you
09:46are doing as I think it's extremely
09:48important to our incoming students
09:50from some of the things on the
09:53horizon indication one is Jessica.
09:55Lucy is working on changing the funds
09:57flow so that we truly pay those who
10:01are are committing significant effort
10:03to teaching based on their effort.
10:06So course directors,
10:09UM thread leaders,
10:12those who who qualified by virtue
10:14of the numbers of hours of teaching
10:17as as high intensity teachers,
10:19we're working to increase the
10:22advising support for our students,
10:25and Jessica is leading the strategic
10:29planning exercise around education
10:32in her first year as Deputy Dean.
10:35In terms of our clinical mission,
10:37you know it's been a complex year
10:40and probably nowhere more complex
10:43than in the Cancer Center as we
10:47tried to get back to the work
10:49that we do every day and and that
10:52is ensuring that our patients
10:55receive cutting edge therapies.
10:59We have a I think a tricky environment
11:02in healthcare and in the coming years
11:05we will continue to see increased
11:07consolidation of smaller academic health
11:10systems and and and and for profit
11:14health systems into larger systems.
11:17We will continue to see.
11:20But uh, are unique and difficult
11:23pressures on labor and on supply chain.
11:26And in order to respond to those things
11:28we have got to be agile and we have got to
11:31be very closely aligned with the system.
11:34So we've begun some work and it's been,
11:38you know, I think gaining
11:40momentum and and satisfying with,
11:42you know some ought to be honest some.
11:46Lapses from time to time,
11:47but I'm extremely optimistic
11:49about the direction we're taking.
11:51One of the first things we did and and.
11:54Nita and others were a member of a
11:57task force to codify the role of the
12:00chair as chiefs across the system.
12:03So having a line of sight over
12:05quality and patient care,
12:06and I know that this is something
12:08that that Eric Weiner has spent a lot
12:11of time thinking about in terms of.
12:13You know making sure that the cancer
12:14care that a patient that Greenwich
12:16gets is the same as the cancer care
12:18that a patient in New Haven gets,
12:20for example.
12:22The the next phase of the work is
12:26thinking about how we align our
12:29leadership structures so that we're not
12:32engaged in what I call parallel play.
12:34But we're working together as partners
12:37and doing strategic planning and
12:40empowering everybody in the mission,
12:43and Chris O'Connor and I praise,
12:47of course, is succeeding.
12:48Marner borgstrom this as CEO
12:50have begun to work.
12:53Formally,
12:53with a consultant to structure what
12:55that looks like and we are having,
12:58I think very productive conversations.
13:00Thinking, for example,
13:01about the structure of our ambulatory
13:04network as a shared structure
13:05between the system and the school,
13:07so much more to come there,
13:09but but I'm very optimistic.
13:14In terms of our research,
13:16you know last year we were
13:18fourth in NIH funding.
13:19The fiscal year has ended for NIH,
13:21and I think it's going to be.
13:24Shaken up quite a bit by some very
13:26large grants around COVID that were
13:28given and so we'll see where we land,
13:30but one of the things that we have
13:33focused on is moving from an R 01
13:37centric organization to encouraging.
13:40A collaboration and multidisciplinary grants.
13:45And so we set up an office for Team Science.
13:49Many of you have had an amazing
13:51year in terms of your grants,
13:54and it would be, I think,
13:55impossible to go through the whole
13:57list that I have in front of me.
14:00But just to hit a few,
14:01you know and and and you know
14:04that first K 08, for example,
14:07is is that first grant is really
14:09important than one Vasquez.
14:11Scott OK,
14:12wait this year others you know
14:14are more institutional grants like
14:17the Yale Institute of Biomedical,
14:20Molecular Design and Discovery.
14:21Getting any point?
14:23$5 grant. From an IG Ms,
14:26the training grant was renewed.
14:27You know, huge stuff and demayo renewed his
14:31American Cancer Society's research grant.
14:34And again, there's a long list here.
14:36But so congratulations and you know,
14:39I think that ability to pursue
14:41ones questions where they take
14:43you is just a joy that we all.
14:45Have come so in terms of our and
14:47and I would emphasize that you know
14:49it's not all about NIH funding.
14:52And of course in the Cancer Center.
14:54It's you know well,
14:55and will talk about the CTO,
14:57but I think you know the the importance
14:59of industry funding is great,
15:01and of course our VA.
15:04There are a number of institutional
15:06meeting university priorities,
15:08including neuroscience,
15:08and we've gotta search for
15:10chair of neuroscience.
15:11We have had strong neuroscience
15:14is here we have as a party of the
15:19institutional strategic plan.
15:21Institute for Information Science,
15:22and while this is focused at
15:25the core on basic science,
15:27we have we envisioned constructing
15:29this in a way to leverage
15:31inflammation to invest in every area.
15:34And so you know, cancer immunobiology,
15:37for example, is critical,
15:39and so if we call it cancer and
15:43inflammation to raise money,
15:45that's just fine.
15:46I am pleased that in the that
15:49while in the original.
15:51University strategic plan cancer
15:53didn't quite make that top five.
15:56The president has escalated cancer into
15:59the top as we have started to check
16:02off boxes on some of the other priorities,
16:05and so that is being emphasized in the
16:08new capital campaign that was initiated.
16:11Uhm?
16:13We have we are a bit space space constraint
16:16and we have to approach this in two ways.
16:19One of course is is building out new
16:21space and in addition to building out
16:24some wet lab space in 100 College St,
16:27We now have committed to building out of
16:29floor and 101 college St when it's completed.
16:32And of course we're doing renovations in
16:34300 George which will provide a number
16:37of workstations dedicated to cancer.
16:39We also have to manage the space
16:41that we have more efficiently.
16:44And so we have codified a space plan and
16:48we now are working on a master plan.
16:51And and some of that requires doing
16:54hard things like moving space
16:57around and and downsizing programs
17:00so that other programs that are
17:03growing can have space and that
17:06that will be hard work to do.
17:08But we need to make it transparent
17:10and go ahead and and do that.
17:13So other things that I have not
17:15mentioned in the research realm one
17:18is we have launched a search for an
17:21inaugural chair of an autonomous section,
17:24biomedical informatics and data
17:26science that will be critical as we
17:30move forward and obviously to people
17:32and people in the cancer world.
17:34You know,
17:35extremely important in analyzing
17:38large datasets.
17:40Also,
17:41we have tasked the group.
17:43To consider building our biorepository
17:46resources and that group has just
17:49issued a report and we are going to be
17:52investing in. The centralized infrastructure
17:55for the informatics and the cataloging and
17:59the standardization of handling tissue,
18:03and I think that will enhance resources
18:05that are exist in the Cancer Center
18:07but will make them stronger. Uhm,
18:09and so I think I'll stop there and again,
18:12that's a romp through what we talked
18:15about at the state of the department.
18:17I will get back to this issue of of
18:22infrastructure, purpose, search and the.
18:26Clinical trials office.
18:28We had a town hall on this and.
18:33We had a candidate in town
18:36yesterday and today as a potential
18:40leader to succeed Roy as interim.
18:42You know Roy, who is interim as
18:45a permanent leader of the setio.
18:47We are committing a lot of.
18:50Money to addressing the problems,
18:53but it's going to require having
18:55the right people in the right jobs.
18:57And as I said during the town hall,
18:59it's going to require.
19:01Uhm?
19:04Professionalism and uh.
19:06And and real commitments on
19:08the part of all team members,
19:11including faculty, to making this work.
19:15Uhm? Lastly, at before we get to
19:19the question and answers I I just
19:21want to say a very deeply felt.
19:24Thank you to Nita who has.
19:27Two more months. In this role,
19:32and has been just outstanding in jeopardy.
19:35The Cancer Center forward and.
19:39I I just can't say enough about that so.
19:43Will open up for questions.
19:46So thank you, Nancy, that was
19:48quite comprehensive and and I
19:50think also recognizing all
19:51the accomplishments of our
19:53teams and all the pillars.
19:54It has been a remarkable year in many ways.
19:57Be pad or highs and also
19:59some of the hard stuff.
20:01Before I sort of open it up for
20:03the to the rest of her group,
20:05maybe one comment or question
20:07from you is your thoughts.
20:10In some ways if we look at the care
20:12delivery and you mentioned this briefly
20:14as the consolidation of health.
20:17And when we look at the Cancer
20:19Center in in whether it's the
20:21smile and the care teams,
20:23we are very distributed care
20:25delivery team and the the part that
20:28perhaps we have had discussions
20:30on is how does the academics look
20:33like when 50% of our care gets
20:35delivered in these care centers?
20:37And how do we engage that and make
20:39that as one would be nice to hear what
20:41your thoughts are on on that and how.
20:44What should our future be?
20:45I know Eric is also on this.
20:47Calling it,
20:48maybe it's conversation.
20:49It's not a solution,
20:51but it's certainly a something
20:53for us to sort of say what.
20:55What do we see that future looking like?
20:57You know I have very general
20:59ideas about how we do that across
21:01the school and the institution,
21:03but Eric has been extremely
21:04thoughtful about this and if I don't
21:07mind if I put you on the spot or.
21:11Uh, whether I mind or not,
21:13I think I am on this spot.
21:15So no, I don't mind.
21:18I think the care centers are absolutely
21:20critical to the Cancer Center.
21:22I think cancer care is and will be
21:25changing more in the years ahead
21:28and people are simply people.
21:30That is, our patients are simply not
21:32going to be willing to come into a
21:35major academic center and spend 8
21:37hours waiting in the infusion room
21:38to get their three hour infusion.
21:41And I think we really have to
21:44distribute care in places that
21:46are closer to where they live.
21:49But at the same time we have to
21:52have those places well integrated
21:54with the main campus,
21:56and in my mind one of the huge
21:59opportunities we have as a Cancer
22:01Center is the fact that we have
22:04these 15 care centers and the key,
22:06and it seems that everyone
22:07is really on the same page.
22:09Here is we want there to be
22:13essentially full integration,
22:15a great deal of communication
22:17and the ability to provide.
22:19Great care around the state and do
22:22that in a research setting where
22:24we can enroll people in trials.
22:27Uhm, and you know,
22:28do the best for our patients
22:30at the same time.
22:31Have colleagues here and
22:33people around the state who
22:36are thrilled to work as part
22:38of our program.
22:41Thank you Eric and then this question.
22:44I think it's come up in many people and
22:46you've spoken around this in the past.
22:49I think many people have said the pandemic
22:52effects are felt more on women in in
22:55terms of impact on research and and.
22:57Can you briefly you've talked a
22:59little bit about the code but maybe
23:01highlighting all the efforts that are
23:02going in the School of Medicine around
23:04recognizing the effects that make. Yeah
23:07so several things, you know.
23:10I think it's. It's just magnified.
23:15The extent to which women are caregivers
23:18and families and and the the. Uh.
23:24Importance of. Of.
23:28Taking that into account,
23:29and things like, uh, appointments
23:32and promotions and and facilitating
23:35support for that so you know,
23:39during the pandemic, the.
23:43The. Obvious things like
23:46increased straight lengthening,
23:48the tenure clock and and what we do.
23:52All that you know always is grant
23:56leads for things like childcare.
23:59But there is a conversation ongoing
24:02with the Provost about increasing
24:05our child care benefits across the
24:08board in the university even further.
24:13I think I my experience
24:16and looking at the UM.
24:19Impact of some of the career development
24:21programs that we're investing in is
24:23that they have a greater impact on
24:25the careers of women and minorities or
24:27the greatest impact on the careers of
24:30women and minorities because they come.
24:33Create. First of all,
24:38transparency but. A.
24:41A community for people to seek
24:45advice about common things.
24:48And as an example,
24:49you know women thinking about where how
24:52we go to meetings and how we network the
24:55conversation will inevitably turn to.
24:57Well,
24:58how do I travel when my kids are,
25:00you know,
25:01young and problem solving that
25:02you know often doesn't come
25:05from programmatic solutions.
25:06It comes from being in a room with other
25:09young women or older women who have
25:12solved that problem and have great advice.
25:16In terms of money.
25:18I mentioned that the GAP funding.
25:22Efforts and.
25:25The other thing this sponsorship that
25:28I mentioned you know we are sending.
25:33Faculty to Wamc, both through programs
25:37for women and programs for minority,
25:40and also to Elam, which is an executive
25:42leadership in academic medicine.
25:44In the past, when we would do that,
25:46we would send people they
25:48would get these great.
25:49Ideas about how to move their career
25:51forward and then they come back
25:53and nothing came of it and so one
25:55of the things that we're doing is
25:56trying to create networks of the
25:59graduates of those programs and
26:01and groom them for leadership.
26:03Or, you know,
26:05or scientific leadership in a way
26:07that perhaps we haven't before,
26:11so those are a few of the things that we do.
26:14Thank you so much. Diana Krause.
26:16Had a question, Diana, do you want
26:17to ask Dean Brown yourself or I can
26:19read it whatever you feel comfortable,
26:21no big deal.
26:21I just I was curious to know a little
26:23more specifically about stands for 101.
26:27There gonna be wet labs what?
26:28Which research priorities do
26:30you have for that space?
26:32Yeah, so the original plan was that it
26:34would be all wet labs and then we got
26:37we hit a bit of a speed bump in that.
26:40We cannot apparently build a bridge from
26:43100 to 101 and for New Haven reasons.
26:47Which then creates my very own problems.
26:49And So what we're looking at now
26:51is the possibility of whether
26:52we can put a tunnel underneath.
26:54Because, of course,
26:55there's the roadway underneath,
26:56and there may be space to put a tunnel,
26:59so that's what we're trying to
27:00work on now to enable us to.
27:04To not have to build another
27:07variant if we put wet labs there.
27:10So it's a little bit in flux.
27:11That is the goal.
27:12That is where we are more.
27:15Where we need more space
27:17workstations? Thank you. So
27:21Catherine Harvey has a wonderful question,
27:23which I think is on mind
27:25of many folks which is.
27:27Maybe it's it's a long question,
27:29but I think the the gist of it is how do
27:32you balance the in person in the zoom?
27:34Because zoom is great if you're in
27:36the network, but then there's a huge
27:38connectivity you see in in person.
27:40So how do we think about balancing
27:42those two formats? Yeah,
27:44I mean this may be more of
27:45a question for the group.
27:46I'll give you my two cents and
27:48it comes up all the time in.
27:51Conversations that are typically called
27:52the future of work among kind of Yale.
27:55You know, vice presidents and administrators,
27:57and I think the best thing
28:01about COVID is that it has.
28:04Forced all of us to do things
28:06we were reluctant to do before.
28:08You know, no one knew how to use zoom.
28:11And, uh, and the and the university
28:14had until recently a policy that said
28:17you couldn't hire people who worked.
28:20Who lived somewhere else, right?
28:23We are not going back.
28:25To the past we will have versions
28:28of hybrid works for our staff
28:30and and there'll be more coming
28:33about that sort of differentiating
28:34the types of work that staff do,
28:36but I I see that the best solution is some
28:40sort of mix where you choose those meetings.
28:43That were fast, virtually,
28:45and you have a select group
28:48of smaller meetings,
28:49perhaps where you're in person.
28:53Where you get those opportunities
28:55to have the hallway conversation
28:58and make the connections,
29:00and we probably need to make
29:01more of an effort to,
29:03you know,
29:04walk from office to office and
29:06actually greet people.
29:10Uhm, Roy Herbst I think
29:11has a question next Roy
29:13yeah. Hi Nancy, one of the
29:15things I've noticed you know,
29:16working with the spores and with the
29:18CEOs we have so much data and we have
29:20so many specimens and no one of our
29:22great learning steps is analysis of
29:24those specimens with bioinformatics.
29:25So I was glad to hear you mentioned
29:27that and are doing this search.
29:29And certainly for us to sort of grow,
29:31collaborate with other groups,
29:33maybe get some of this operation
29:34money if or whatever.
29:35It would be great to be able to to
29:37be ready and pass out to do that.
29:38So can you tell us a little
29:39bit more about what the.
29:40Plans are for bioinformatics and how
29:41it will impact us on the Kansas side,
29:44so we have a great search committee
29:49that incorporates everybody
29:51from those who are doing.
29:54Uh, work with electronic health
29:56records to those who are doing.
29:59Uhm, big datasets, uh oh, mix of all flavors.
30:05Uhm, I would say we're not going to find.
30:07I don't believe we're going to find.
30:10You know a single person who
30:12does all the things that we need,
30:13what we're what we do want
30:15to find is a leader.
30:16Who can facilitate the work of others,
30:19and the idea was to set up a department
30:21rather than another Century Institute.
30:24Because as we spoke with stakeholders,
30:26there was a feeling that there really
30:28was a need for an academic home.
30:31There is a small academic home
30:33for some flavors of those people.
30:36As a section of Biostatistics.
30:38Now in YS pH and I,
30:42I know that Stan is on the call
30:44and he and I have talked about.
30:47The notion that this new department
30:49could actually be a joint department
30:51of our two schools and move those
30:54folks into this new department.
30:58The the types of people that we haven't
31:03done our airport interview yet,
31:05but I mean there are several,
31:07you know, kind of National Academy
31:09member type people among the list and
31:11it's a good group and I I think we.
31:16We will create an academic home
31:18for the types of people we also
31:19have to train people you know.
31:21There's just a dearth of.
31:23Faculty who can handle.
31:27Multidimensional data and know
31:29something about the diseases and.
31:31You know you know genetics or you know
31:34you can think of or no happy or not.
31:37You know 'cause it's really.
31:37It's about being trilingual or UM.
31:40And so we do have a new fellowship
31:44that's in collaboration with
31:46Boehringer Ingelheim to create
31:49data scientists and we pair them
31:52with a Yale interana by mentor.
31:55And I think those kinds of programs
31:57will be extremely important to us.
32:02Donna.
32:05Hey.
32:07Yes, and I'm glad that we're still
32:09on the topic of data science,
32:11and I'd really like to make the case
32:14that the Department of Biostatistics
32:16at the School of Public Health is
32:19already the home for data science
32:21and already doing Health Sciences,
32:23informatics and omics and electronic
32:26health record type analysis and
32:29has the sort of technical computer
32:33science and mathematical background
32:35to continue leading in that.
32:37Role in bringing in like PhD
32:40data scientists into the medical
32:42school in a different department,
32:45I think is almost like putting
32:48them as a fish out of water.
32:50And you know, we have Eric here and Eric,
32:53you know it's coming from
32:55Harvard as I also did.
32:56And you know there were some
32:58issues with the Harvard Biostats
32:59Department and there's this separate.
33:02You know, all mixed group under
33:04Zak Kohane at the medical school.
33:06And you know,
33:07some competition.
33:08And not necessarily the best synergy,
33:11whereas at the Dana Farber there's the group
33:14led by I was led by Giovanni Parmigiani,
33:17and I think he's stepped down
33:18and I can't remember who's,
33:20oh, I know who it is.
33:21Rafael Arisara has taken over and they
33:24are very tightly integrated into the
33:28Department of Biostatics Statistics.
33:30That's where their primary appointments are
33:32and everything is very well integrated.
33:35And personally I think that's
33:36a much better model and I.
33:38Hope we can move in that direction.
33:40I know that the Biostats department
33:42is even thinking of changing
33:44its name as many other biostat
33:47departments have around the country to
33:50Biostatistics and health data science.
33:52In order to further emphasize like
33:55the leadership role in omics and
33:57neural imaging and electronic health
34:00records and other big data types of
34:03methodologic and applied pursuits.
34:06Yeah, thank you I.
34:07I think this is something that
34:09we did a a good bit of, uh.
34:12A serving of all of the people
34:15in this space and stakeholders,
34:17and I've spent a lot of time
34:20talking with you about this,
34:22and I think what you're getting,
34:25what you're addressing is,
34:26you know, do you?
34:27Do you want to have two departments
34:29in two different schools?
34:31And the answer is no.
34:32They have to have a different phenotype
34:35and and they have to be highly collaborative.
34:39And you know, Even so,
34:41as we think about.
34:43You know the the.
34:45Put possibility of a completely
34:48autonomous Yale School of Public Health
34:51and we think about Biostatistics.
34:54You know,
34:55I think we and imagine.
34:57A model where those who
35:00are doing national logic,
35:02file statistics and PhD sciences
35:05in Biostatistics would have their
35:07home in the in the department
35:08in the School of Public Health.
35:10But those who are supporting
35:14Biostatistics in many of our
35:17clinical trials and other areas
35:19might have appointments in
35:20the School of Medicine and a
35:22secondary appointment invested.
35:23So we're putting a lot of thought into that,
35:26and I appreciate your.
35:28Thoughtfulness.
35:31Bob Garafolo had a question
35:32next, Bob. Loading brown,
35:36UM. My question relates to one of
35:39the aspects of the six essential
35:41characteristics of the CCSG.
35:44So one of those is institutional
35:46commitment and under institutional
35:48commitment in the in the recent FOS.
35:52Is that is the
35:53line that recognition
35:54of team science?
35:57Recognition of participation
35:59in team science and institutional
36:00policies, including those related
36:02to promotion and tenure. So
36:06the push to increase team
36:08science is certainly in line with this.
36:11My question is whether
36:13there's a corresponding recognition of
36:15team science in promotion policies.
36:17You know, being able to document this
36:19in the in the renewal as we go forward
36:21will lay its strength to that that
36:23particular aspect of the grants. Yes,
36:27absolutely. I think the.
36:31The place that we.
36:36Have the sort of longest conversations
36:40about this is in TCBS, because that's a.
36:44That's a group that is more accustomed to.
36:48The individual scientist, but uhm.
36:52As we promote team science on promotions
36:55and a appointment committees,
36:57what becomes critical are the
37:00letters of support and the letters.
37:03Being able to say to call out the
37:07important contribution that a faculty
37:09member has made to that team science.
37:11What was their unique contribution and
37:13and I am seeing this working actually
37:16pretty well in our promotion and
37:18appointment and promotion committees.
37:23Thank you, thank you and Bob.
37:25As you know Nancy is there a deeper
37:27research versus has LED us through
37:29renewals and is actually stepping
37:31down at the end of the year?
37:32And yes, and it's taken over.
37:34So yes, we appreciate all of this
37:36hard work tariffs amped has a
37:38question she just posted in chat
37:40about the great resignation terror.
37:42Do you want to ask the question?
37:43Yeah hi thanks Dean Brown for coming today.
37:45It was great talk. You know,
37:49I just wrote in the chat that we've
37:51heard a lot and read a lot and witnessed
37:54even the great resignation phase of
37:56this pandemic and just curious your
37:59thoughts on on this as it relates to
38:03Yale Medical School in the hospital.
38:05What we can do to support
38:06each other through this time?
38:09You know a lot of our units are having
38:13staffing crisis and people are tired and
38:15and so just curious on your
38:17reflections on this and what
38:19we can do to move forward as an
38:21intact unit. Yeah, thank you.
38:23A really important question.
38:27I've had a number of conversations.
38:28I think the has this really particularly
38:31affects the hospital and nursing
38:33and very specialized nursing,
38:35but of course it's what we're
38:37seeing in the CTO as both both
38:41the great resignation and the the
38:45the competition now nationally
38:46because people can work anywhere.
38:51I think there are this sort of
38:53obvious things, and then there are
38:54the things that may not be obvious,
38:55but that are equally important,
38:57so providing adequate
38:59salaries is an obvious thing,
39:01and we're doing a lot of work to
39:04reclassify some of those critical jobs.
39:07We being in the School of Medicine
39:09and the university the hospital is
39:10doing the same thing. Uhm, the.
39:15What is very important to people?
39:17More than money is quality of life
39:20and and control of times right?
39:24I mean that's what people got during
39:26the pandemic when they were working
39:27from home is a little more flexibility.
39:29So I think we equally have
39:32to be creative about UM.
39:35Providing that flexibility and then
39:38the last piece is some respect.
39:41And making sure that people feel
39:44like they are part of a team.
39:47Uhm, and that when you're under
39:51pressure as a physician or a
39:55surgeon and that it's very.
40:00Easy to fly off the handle.
40:02That is the time that we
40:04have to step back and say.
40:06This person is also under pressure and
40:08we need to work through this together and
40:11I need to behave in a professional way.
40:14And if there are triggers that you know I,
40:17I think we all have to be very
40:19conscious and being kind to
40:20each other and I'm respectful.
40:25Thank you Terra.
40:26Great question and one that's very
40:28much on top of everyone's mind.
40:30A question from our Mayor Zaidan,
40:31who is one of our associate professors
40:34and important stakeholder in the
40:37clinical trials arena. A matter.
40:38Do you want to ask the question?
40:39Maybe in your own words,
40:41so I probably won't do it justice.
40:44Sure, yeah, so I thanks for the Dean for
40:46taking the time to take our questions.
40:48My question in terms of all the
40:50challenges we had with the CTO.
40:52So what is the long term vision
40:54for Yale and Doctor Weiner?
40:56If you know, feel free to chip in as
40:58well in terms of how we are going to
41:01distinguish ourselves within this,
41:02you know the clinical research in cancer.
41:04There are different ways in which
41:06different centers. Uhm, do this.
41:09And how is the incoming CEO?
41:11Director associate director
41:13is envisioning this.
41:15It would be great if the process for
41:17choosing that person is more inclusive
41:19and we get a sense of what is their
41:22vision statement for the specifics
41:23they hope to accomplish and the
41:25timelines they hope to do that over.
41:27Thank you.
41:27OK, I'm gonna talk generally and
41:30then Eric watched the correct
41:32anything that I say he can.
41:34He can step in but uhm.
41:36I think the key thing about the
41:38next leader of the CTO is that
41:41this cannot just be person.
41:43A person who is.
41:45Working to get the trains running on time,
41:49but that that needs to be done
41:51that is fundamental, but.
41:52One of the reasons that we have issues is
41:57we have not paid attention to fundamentals.
42:00We've not adequately.
42:02Uhm?
42:02Trained all of our incoming investigators.
42:06We've not adequately sunsetted old proposals.
42:10We you know,
42:11haven't done that kind of structural thing,
42:13so I think the the incoming
42:16CTO director also has to be.
42:18Uhm?
42:20Someone who has real.
42:25Bonafede A as a clinical investigator
42:28and as somebody who has has
42:32done designed clinical trials.
42:35Knows how to design them well.
42:38To test hypotheses and not just be
42:41descriptive, so that's one issue.
42:43Beyond the CTO, and is are much
42:47larger institutional issues that we
42:50have in terms of the infrastructure.
42:53For things like contract ING and we are
42:57having a conversation that how to get better.
43:01Oversight in the School of Medicine
43:03over clinical contract ING.
43:04When we are the primary user of that.
43:08Uhm, and when the considerations
43:10are very different.
43:12Then they are for you know,
43:14contract ING or something in the in
43:16the other side of the university.
43:22Eric. Sure, uhm. So
43:27I don't think there's a simple
43:29answer to your question.
43:31I would agree with Nancy very
43:35strongly that there really.
43:37In many ways, two separate issues.
43:39One is getting the trains going
43:42again and we need somebody who's
43:44going to be able to work with
43:46everyone here and make that happen.
43:49And then we we need as you
43:51suggest in your question,
43:52really a broad view of of clinical research.
43:57And we do have somebody here
44:01interviewing somebody who I know
44:03well and who is spending time with
44:07approximately 30 different people today,
44:10tomorrow and by zoom and.
44:14I think that that in and of itself is a is
44:17a meant to be a very inclusive process,
44:20but I think there's some urgency in
44:22filling this position and it's not
44:24something that can drag on for a long time,
44:27so I will share with you that I
44:30fervently hope that people like this
44:32person and that we're going to be able
44:35to move forward in the short term.
44:37I think to ask anyone whether
44:40it's me or whether it's the new
44:43CTO director to provide a.
44:45Broad vision for clinical research at this
44:48moment is probably a little too soon,
44:50but I think it's a very reasonable question
44:53and you know the truth is we want to.
44:56We want to be able to design the very best,
45:00most creative,
45:01most impactful clinical trials that will
45:04each answer many different questions.
45:08Working closely with you know all
45:11of the various disciplines and
45:13with you know outstanding.
45:15Help from our biostatistical
45:18colleagues and more than that,
45:20they really need to be trials that
45:23allow us to reach into the lab
45:25and reach into a whole variety
45:27of areas so that you know we're
45:30not asking empiric questions,
45:32but we're really trying to
45:34understand the basis of disease.
45:35So I mean,
45:36that's a pretty broad answer and
45:38I'm sorry I can't be more specific,
45:41but I think that we're going
45:44to distinguish ourselves by
45:46having extremely thoughtful,
45:48unique trials that we,
45:50as a group put together.
45:53So I think you know, obviously a
45:55rather large question and you know,
45:57we've all alluded to some of the things that
45:59are general to the national conversation,
46:02which is the people and some some of
46:04the big things that are unique to us,
46:06which are the structural challenges,
46:08whether it's contract ING and some of
46:11the things that Nancy has alluded to,
46:13how do we think about portfolio management?
46:16Resource management?
46:16Think the piece on vision and how
46:19clinical trials are fundamentally is.
46:21One of our Cancer Center, right?
46:24The cancer.
46:24Enter as many departments that are part
46:27of this and how do we take the best of
46:29our science and translate that into
46:31meaningful things for our patients?
46:32So I think these are important
46:34questions and one fundamentally
46:36beyond the leader will also come
46:38from a lot of the people on on this
46:42town hall as how we think about the
46:44next generation of her clinician
46:46investigators and also our patients.
46:48So again,
46:49good question and there's a candidate
46:51here who has met many folks today
46:53that could be one more thing.
46:56Just
46:56that I think this is, I think,
46:58clinical trials are the ultimate
47:00example of team science.
47:01You know this is not something that
47:03any individual can do on their own.
47:05I'm not talking about the the director,
47:07I'm talking about all of us doing
47:09trials and they benefit from our A
47:12really comprehensive group effort.
47:15Thank you Doctor Weiner and I have a
47:17question from Doctor Helene. Stephanie.
47:19Sure you know
47:20this is interview season.
47:21You know for fellows
47:23for MD PhD students for Residency
47:25Fellowship, and you know,
47:27in our current fellows frequently asked,
47:30what is my career path, right?
47:31Where do I go and what can
47:33we do to improve support?
47:36Where you for
47:37this very, very critical
47:38time of advancing from fellowship to
47:41junior faculty and guide their path?
47:44The Institute is a chamber
47:45society. I'm curious,
47:47you know about more initiatives like that.
47:49Yeah, So what?
47:50I'll go through some of the other
47:52things that keep choke has established.
47:55That that Janeway society is not
47:57just kind of a social group,
47:59it's it's a UM. Very impressive.
48:03He's meeting with every
48:04single member of that group.
48:06It creates an oversight of mentorship
48:09which is extremely important.
48:11Even though you think people
48:12are getting good mentorship,
48:13you start to learn that there are
48:15holes that they may not be meeting
48:17with their mentorship committee
48:19and that oversight of mentorship
48:21improves outcomes in and of itself.
48:23The Janeway Society then gives an
48:26opportunity to have conversations around.
48:29The soft skills that all of us wish that
48:31somebody had shared with us, right?
48:33You know how do I talk to my mentor?
48:35How do I hire?
48:37For my laboratory,
48:39what's the right time to do?
48:41You know, whatever?
48:43Embedded in that also are an extension
48:47of a grant writing course that Jean
48:49Shapiro has offered for many years,
48:51and an extension of a uhm.
48:55Manuscript writing course and now
48:56you get people in that group saying,
48:59ah, I I did that and it's and I,
49:02you know,
49:02my manuscript was accepted in nature
49:04or whatever it is that starts to
49:06create a buzz around that thing.
49:08He has rolled out a a repository
49:13of successful grants.
49:15So your young faculty member who?
49:21Is writing his or her first arawan
49:23can can pull up all of the successful
49:26are ones in recent years and read
49:29them and learn from their response to
49:32reviewers how to do a revision for example.
49:36Uhm, he has just started.
49:40I think they rolled out and I don't
49:42think it's met yet, but the first.
49:45Uh,
49:45studies internal study section for
49:47people who are submitting grants,
49:50and we have 11 people who have submitted.
49:53I think eight are ones and three
49:55other flavored grants to be reviewed
49:57by this inaugural study section that
50:00will be offered before each cycle.
50:02Uhm? And then of course, money, right?
50:05So you guys have a K12,
50:07but there are there are in there.
50:09So making those things available to faculty.
50:12But we have now funding for that T
50:16to K conversion that is available
50:19on an annual basis.
50:20And so as you start to say those
50:23things to young incoming faculty,
50:25they start to appreciate that this
50:27is an institution that values
50:28and values their career success.
50:30And in my experience you not only
50:32recruit those people, you start to.
50:33Use that as a way to recruit shares,
50:35because they realize that they will
50:37have support for the investments that
50:40they're making in young faculty.
50:44Thank you.
50:47I'm just looking at the chat if there
50:49are other questions while there are,
50:51I'm going to ask you one because
50:52I asked this in surgery.
50:53What's your favorite part of yeah?
50:55What made from your days as an undergrad?
50:58God, you know, I, I think I don't
51:01even remember what I said that time.
51:04I you know so I live on the other side of
51:06campus and I love walking to work every
51:09day in this beautiful campus on say that.
51:11I love being around a lot of smart people.
51:15I will inform you guys every day.
51:18Yeah, and of course we had the
51:19Harvard Yale game this weekend,
51:20so that was not so good.
51:22It was. It was a close one so.
51:26It I see, Roy Herbst has one
51:28more question, Doctor Herbst.
51:31Well, I I have one more question.
51:33Well first of all, for the clinical
51:34trials I agree with what Eric said,
51:36but I also want to point out that it's
51:38really a dyad between the physician
51:39director and the administrative team.
51:41And how important that group is.
51:43And and I want to thank them all for
51:45everything they're doing during this time.
51:46But I wanted to ask you, Nancy,
51:48now that you've been here for awhile,
51:49one of the important things
51:50about clinical trials,
51:51it would be to take our aryel
51:53science and bring into the clinic.
51:54And I'm wondering what you think about some
51:56of our greatest strength scientifically.
51:58And you know, in the center and what
52:00are the gaps that you'd like to?
52:01Bring in to enhance.
52:04Well, I I think it's fraught to
52:06say what's our greatest science,
52:07because you inevitably will
52:08leave something out.
52:12You know, uhm? The strength of
52:14the basic science here was one
52:17of the things that attracted me.
52:19Uh, I think I was not aware of the
52:21extent to which we had clinical
52:23investigation going on and you and
52:25I have talked about there are.
52:27There are some gaps we have.
52:30Not trained people in.
52:33Uhm, hypothesis testing,
52:35early translation very well.
52:39We've let them learn by the
52:40seat of their pants,
52:42and so I think we have opportunities to.
52:48Enhance our bidirectional translation.
52:50And nobody does this better
52:54than than oncology and.
52:57But we need to do that across the
52:59board and in all of our science.
53:07Nancy was a really great session.
53:09As you saw from all of the Q&A that we had,
53:12I want to thank you for making
53:14this an interactive format.
53:16I want to thank everybody for attending.
53:18I think couple reminders or
53:19actually just one reminder.
53:20We do have town hall next on Thursday,
53:24December 2nd at 5:00 PM.
53:26Kevin Billingsley and the team
53:28will be talking about our quality
53:30metrics for the coming year.
53:32So just reminder to put that in
53:35your happy Thanksgiving everybody.
53:37And have a great rest of the day.
53:38Take care, thank you, thank you.