Dean's Note by Steven Leach, MD
Dear Colleagues,
I hope you all had a chance to enjoy the extended winter break and start the new year feeling rested and recharged.It’s been great to see our classrooms, labs, offices and clinics come back to life these past few weeks, and I’m excited to see what we will accomplish together in the year ahead.
We kicked off 2026 with a wonderful New Year’s celebration on January 13 at the Top of the Hop. What an evening! More than 400 members of our Geisel community came together with a great turnout, great food, great music, and the simple joy of being in each other’s company. It was energizing to feel that level of connection and enthusiasm in the room. My sincere thanks to our Events Committee, who worked incredibly hard to make the night not only successful but genuinely fun for everyone. You can view some of the photos from that evening on our website.
Just a few days ago, we gathered again for the MLK Service Awards, one of the most meaningful events of our year. It was an honor to welcome everyone and reflect on the importance of Dr. King’s legacy in our work and in our community. The awardees’ contributions remind us of the power of service, equity, and shared purpose. Please join me in thanking Dr. Lisa McBride and the DICE team for putting together this extraordinary program. For those who weren’t able to attend—or would like to revisit the inspiring moments from the afternoon—you can read more in this story and watch the video of the event on our website.
As we continue building this newsletter, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who contributed their “Geisel Good News” and highlights of our impactful work for this issue. Your updates help us shine a light on the many good things happening across our departments and centers—achievements that might otherwise fly under the radar, despite the tremendous effort behind them. Thank you!
We look forward to sharing even more news of progress, recognition, and collaboration in the months ahead. There is so much to celebrate here at Geisel, and this newsletter is one small way we can stay connected and highlight the great work happening all around us.
Warm regards,
Steve
DEAN'S OFFICE UPDATES
Faculty Affairs Updates
Congratulations to Jessica Salwen-Deremer, PhD, on her promotion to associate professor of psychiatry.
The Office of Faculty Affairs launched Geisel Faculty Coaching last month, with five Certified Executive Coaches trained under the International Coaching Federation (ICF). If you are interested in coaching services, you can register here. Stay tuned for information regarding registering for our next cohort for The Mentoring Institute! Please reach out to the Faculty Affairs team if you have questions regarding coaching or mentoring.
Research Updates
The Task Force for Efficiency in Human Subjects Research and Data Use continues to meet and has formed three subgroups. An email address, Geisel.Research@dartmouth.edu, has also been created for faculty to submit suggestions and issues to the task force.
Subgroup 1: IRB and Human Subjects Members: Sheila Ryan (chair), Dean Madden, Aricca Van Citters, Brock Christensen, Keith Paulsen, Linda Vahdat, Michael Whitfield, and Susan Roberts.
Subgroup 2: Data Technology and Governance Members: Susan Roberts (chair), Dean Madden, Andrew Loehrer, Brock Christensen, Elizabeth Stedina, Parth Shah, and Tim Burdick.
Subgroup 3: Shared Services and Administrative Cooperation Members: Steven Bernstein (chair), Dean Madden, Andrew Loehrer, Eric Henderson, Keith Paulsen, Cynthia Walker (ad hoc), and John Muhlen.
DEPARTMENT & CENTER UPDATES
Biochemistry & Cell Biology
Awards: BCB Professors Dean Madden and ‘Toyin Asojo were among the award recipients at Geisel’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Awards Luncheon. BCB graduate students Pallavi Gadgill (Sone Lacefield lab), Carter Tracy (Chris Shoemaker lab), and Jerry O’Dwyer (Charlie Barlowe lab) were awarded fellowships from the Albert J. Ryan Foundation. Congratulations!
Papers: Dr. Miriam Lee, a postdoc in Harry Higgs’ lab, developed a cell-free assay to discover new regulation of actin assembly. The work was published in Journal of Cell Biology. Dean Madden’s lab engineered a new peptide molecule that targets cystic fibrosis, as described in Journal of Molecular Biology.
New faces: BCB welcomed Toben Traver as Operations Coordinator in January. Toben will support student and academic programs within the department.
Biomedical Data Science
The Whitfield Lab has two new publications!
Dr. Michael Whitfield, Chair and Professor of Biomedical Data Science, is excited to share that his lab’s study, “Multimodal Analyses of Early, Untreated SSc Skin Identify a Proinflammatory Vascular Niche of Macrophage-Fibroblast Signaling,” led by Dartmouth MSB PhD graduate student Helen Jarnagin, has been published in JCI Insight(doi: 10.1172/jci.insight.198954). Dr. Whitfield’s research team identified an immunomodulatory niche within the papillary hypodermis and vascular regions that are enriched for activated myeloid cells and fibroblasts, with significant enrichment of the PI3K-AKT-mTOR signaling pathway. Dr. Whitfield is also thrilled to report that a second paper, “RUNX1 is expressed in a subpopulation of dermal fibroblasts and is associated with disease severity of systemic sclerosis,” led by Dartmouth PEMM PhD graduate student Rezvan Parvizi, has been published in Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (doi: 10.1016/j.ard.2025.10.033). The research team found that the protein RUNX1 is unusually high in a specific group of skin‑fibroblast cells from people with systemic sclerosis, and its level associates with how severe the disease is. Targeting RUNX1 could provide a novel therapeutic avenue for systemic sclerosis, a chronic autoimmune disease with limited treatment options and substantial morbidity.
Dr. Lynn Fiellin has a new publication in Springer Nature Health!
Dr. Lynn Fiellin, professor of biomedical data science, and Tyra Boomer, MEM, deputy director of the play2PREVENT Lab, led a National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) HEAL-funded study, “A videogame for perceived risk of harm from opioid misuse in adolescents: a randomized controlled trial,” to develop and test PlaySmart, a first-of-its-kind digital health game technology designed to prevent opioid misuse and promote mental health among adolescents. This work was recently published in Springer Nature Health (doi: 10.1038/s44360-025-00010-z). PlaySmart meaningfully strengthened adolescents’ knowledge and negative expectancies about opioid use, both powerful predictors of healthier choices.
Dr. Erika Moen featured on JCO Oncology Practice podcast!
Dr. Erika Moen, associate professor of biomedical data science, was invited to discuss her recently published paper, “Rural Oncologists' Perceptions of Specialty Scarcity and Repercussions for Care Delivery: A Qualitative Study,” on the JCO Oncology Practice monthly podcast, hosted by Dr. Fumiko Chino. This podcast highlights new research published in JCO Oncology Practice related to cancer care delivery, quality, disparities, and access. Dr. Moen’s paper (doi: 10.1200/OP-24-01065) was co-authored by Geisel colleagues Karen Schifferdecker, Gabriel Brooks, Christopher Tirrell, and James O’Malley, along with Dr. Tracy Onega at University of Utah. The JCO Oncology Practice podcast is typically released on the third Monday of the month (i.e., Monday, January 19, 2026). You can view it here.
Dr. Jennifer Emond receives Prouty Pilot Grant!
Jennifer A. Emond, PhD, MS (associate professor of biomedical data science and assistant dean of Geisel’s Health Sciences Master’s Programs), Christine Gunn, PhD (associate professor TDI), and Cesar U. Alas, MD (doctoral student in the Quantitative Biomedical Sciences program) have been awarded a Prouty Pilot Grant from the Dartmouth Cancer Center. The project, “Understanding Oncologist-Patient Communication on Alcohol Use in Cancer Survivorship: The CLEAR Project (Cancer Lifestyle and Engagement for Alcohol Research),” aims to characterize the current practices of oncologists and primary care physicians (PCPs) within the Dartmouth Health System regarding discussions of alcohol use in cancer survivorship care, including documentation of screening and counseling methods, frequency of addressing the topic, and recommendations provided to patients.
Center for Global Health Equity
The Center for Global Health Equity (CGHE) is pleased to share that the manuscript “Ensuring Equitable Engagement in Global Health Education: Rwandan perspectives and observations about learner exchange with high-income countries” has been published in BMJ Global Health.
This qualitative study was conducted during a CGHE-funded M4 co-designed, community-based research elective by two Geisel alums, Drs. Sirey Zhang and Micaela Dickinson, both MED’24, in collaboration with four of our Rwandan medical colleagues. It offers a framework for fostering equitable and justice-oriented practices for global health educational exchanges. The findings offer a tailored framework for fostering equitable and justice-oriented practices in future exchanges with potential applications to academic global health exchanges between high-income countries and low- and middle-income countries more broadly.
Center for Technology and Behavioral Health
CTBH hosted the 4th annual Digital Health Summit, Clinically-Validated Digital Therapeutics: Innovations and Impact in the Scientific, Regulatory, and Market Landscape. This event has become a widely regarded forum focused on innovations in scientific discovery, clinical applications and widespread deployment of DTx. Tyra Boomer, Lynn Fiellin, and co-authors published a paper, A videogame for perceived risk of harm from opioid misuse in adolescents: a randomized controlled trial, in Nature Health. Madeline Frumkin is launching a new graduate course focused on Digital Mental Health. Designed for students across data science, health policy, engineering, computer science, psychology, and neuroscience, the course begins with core concepts in the assessment and treatment of major mental disorders.
Led by Lisa Marsch, a team of Geisel researchers received a four-year $13 million NIDA grant to conduct the first ever multisite clinical trial testing long-acting medication for adolescent opioid use disorder. The study will compare the effectiveness of sublingual buprenorphine versus extended-release buprenorphine. CTBH T32 post-doctoral fellow Caroline Barry was awarded funding through the CTBH Pilot Core to develop and conduct preliminary usability testing of a digital prototype of a culturally informed, family-based prevention program for adolescents on and near the Cherokee Nation Reservation.
Daniel Fulford and Nicholas Jacobson co-authored an introduction to a special issueof the Journal of Psychopathology and Clinical Science. Lisa Marsch gave an invited presentation at JP Morgan HealthCare conference in San Francisco and hosted a presentation with Thrive Global CEO Arianna Huffington on CTBH’s partnership with Thrive Global on Evergreen. Lynn Fiellin discussed her work in developing and testing innovative video game interventions for youth and young adults in a Q&A with Timothy Dean for Geisel News. Lisa Marsch, Andrew Campbell, and Nicholas Jacobson met with TIME Magazine to discuss the development of Evergreen, an AI-powered chatbot designed by Dartmouth students and faculty to help students thrive. The Northeast Node of the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network recently began work on three newly funded projects.
Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects
In December 2025, the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP) announced the full 3-year accreditation of the Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects (CPHS), Dartmouth's Human Research Protection Program and IRB. This is the gold standard of certification for HRPPs. Accreditation involves a rigorous self-study, review and written questions by the AAHRPP team, a multi-day site visit with interviews, debriefing, and a final discussion with Council.
The site visit team was very enthusiastic about the quality of oversight provided by the CPHS team. Please congratulate and thank them when you have a chance. The proposal took an enormous amount of work, and its approval is a direct reflection of their commitment to scientific ethics and excellence. Many thanks also to the members of our community who serve on the CPHS committee, who participated in the site visit, and who uphold the principles of outstanding human subjects research across campus. Here's the brief announcement.
Dermatology
Dr. Matt LeBoeuf received the 2025 Research Excellence Award which honors exceptional scientific achievements within our community. Nominations were submitted by members of the Geisel community and reviewed by the Research Excellence Award Committee. In recognition of his outstanding contributions to biomedical research at Dartmouth, Dr. LeBoeuf was ultimately selected as a recipient of the Research Excellence Award.
Drs. Hayden and Lansigan, along with Drs. Maria Pellegrini and Dale Mierke in Chemistry have been selected for the Winter 2026 Dartmouth Innovation Accelerator for Cancer (DIAC). This project builds on a long-standing collaboration between the Pellegrini and Hayden Labs, exploring novel compounds discovered in the Pellegrini lab. Through the DIAC program, the team will be focused on pre-clinical development of a first-in-class therapeutic for the treatment of B-cell and cutaneous T-cell lymphomas.
Robie Lucas, MD, recently received a $50,000 Hitchcock Foundation grant that will combine efforts of the Department of Microbiology, Professor Kowalski’s lab and Dermatology to look at how biofilms affect staphylococcus in atopic dermatitis patients. We carry on with growing and elevating our multiple missions of patient care, research, teaching and other academic pursuits.
Caitlin Kowalski, PhD ’20, a microbiologist, launched her research career in our department this summer. We look forward to her contributing as she unravels the complexities of the cutaneous microbiome. Professor Kowalski will focus on the interactions between Malassezia and Staphylococcus in the skin. She will have an unlimited opportunity to study multiple clinical skin diseases from our specialty clinic patient population.
Dartmouth Center for Implementation Science
A historic first at Dartmouth! This fall, the Geisel School of Medicine welcomed the inaugural class of its Master of Science in Implementation Science (MSIS) program, the world’s only standalone degree of its kind. Thirty students from around the globe joined this groundbreaking program, bringing diverse experiences to a shared mission: bridging the gap between research and real-world impact. After kicking off with a two-day virtual orientation, 10 students gathered in person last week for the program’s first Implementation Science Symposium, led by Dr. Jeremiah Brown and Gayle Cohen. The event fostered connection, collaboration, and conversation around driving meaningful change in healthcare and beyond.
The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice
The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice (TDI) investigators had papers published recently in BMJ Open, Journal of Cystic Fibrosis, Journal of Hospital Ethics, andThe Journal of Rural Health.
To advance the college-wide research priority related to rural health and society, TDI and partners at Geisel and DH are presenting the second annual Dartmouth Rural Health Symposium on May 12 and 13, 2026. Abstracts are due February 23.
The TDI-sponsored podcast, Unleashed, has released four new episodes focused on innovation in primary care. The podcast is created and hosted by Professor Glyn Elwyn and Chris Trimble. Geisel faculty, staff, and students are invited to join TDI for a Health Policy and Clinical Practice seminar on January 28 at noon with Dr. Cary Gross, professor of medicine and public health and founding director of Yale’s Cancer Outcomes, Public Policy, and Effectiveness Research Center. Watch for additional seminar announcements in January and February, as faculty candidates come to campus.
Medical Education
The Department of Medical Education has kicked off the new year with a month of double Research Rounds. On January 6, Dr. Lauren Buhl, assistant professor of anesthesiology, presented “From Vibe Coding to Validation: Building and Testing an AI-Powered Clinical Education Platform.” This eagerly anticipated topic drew excellent attendance.
Up next was a long-standing Department of Medical Education favorite: presentations by the Swigart Fellows highlighting their research in medical ethics. Featured talks included “Ethical Dilemmas in Elective Spine Surgery: Physician and Patient Perspectives” and “Ethical Use of Social Media in Medical School Admissions: Navigating Implicit Bias, Information Overload, and the Weaponization of Professionalism.”
All Department of Medical Education sessions are free and open to join. Please contact kerry.e.schmitt@dartmouth.edu to receive our newsletter with information on future talks.
Microbiology & Immunology
Professors, Mary Jo Turk and Yina Huang's review "The immunology of vitiligo" was published this month in Nature Reviews Immunology.
Congratulations to Shawna Pratt, postdoc in the O'Toole Lab, for receiving an American Heart Association Fellowship. 1/1/26-12/31/27, "Understanding the role of central line microtexture in CLABSI incidence and prevention".
Congratulations to Akshaya Balasubramanian, graduate student the Sundrud Lab, for receiving an American Heart Association Fellowship. 1/1/26-12/31/27, "Protective Roles of Sphingolipid Metabolism in Cytotoxic T cells".
Molecular & Systems Biology
Ethan Radicioni, a graduate of Florida Atlantic University, recently joined the department as a Research Administrator.
Shunya Kaneko, a post-doctoral associate in the lab of Esteban Orellana, was awarded a fellowship from the Uehara Memorial Foundation to support his work on the biophysical properties of tRNA isoforms.
Marnie Halpern, together with Dr. Takashi Kawashima of the Weizmann Institute of Science, received an inaugural award from the Dartmouth-Kalaniyot Collaborative Ventures in the Sciences Program to study neurons involved in stress responses using the zebrafish model.
Dartmouth undergraduate Michael Humphrey received a Leave Term Research Grant to pursue a research project full-time in the Halpern lab, working with post-doctoral associate Adrianna Milton.
A paper by research scientist Bin Wang together with Xiaoying Zhou, Jennifer Loros and Jay Dunlap titled “A Daily Cycle of White Collar Complex Dephosphorylation Sustains Circadian Rhythmicity in Neurospora” was recently accepted for publication in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.
A collaborative study from the labs of Gio Bosco and Felicia Goodrum (Microbiology and Immunology), “Human cytomegalovirus regulates host DNA repair machinery for viral genome integrity," was just published in Nucleic Acids Research.
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Patience Gallagher and Paul Hanissian have been awarded a Medical Education Grant from the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics entitled "Standardizing the View: A National Curriculum for ObGyn Ultrasound in Undergraduate Medical Education." Building on existing models and our institutional experience, this project will develop a sustainable, standardized ultrasound curriculum for the Ob/Gyn undergraduate medical education that can be deployed and adapted nationally.
Drs. Gallagher and Hanissian are so grateful to have received this award and are looking forward to collaborating with faculty at DHMC and Geisel, including Nena Mason, Andrew Thomson, and Jennifer McCoy, as well as involving students in their work.
Save the Date
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- February 13 - MD Class of 2028 Transition Ceremony. 12:00 PM at DHMC
- March 20 - Medical Student Class of 2026 Match Day Ceremony, 11:30 AM, Spaulding Auditorium, Hopkins Center (Reception to Follow at 1:45 pm, Hanover Inn, Grand Ballroom)
- May 8 - Class of 2026 Medical Student & Faculty Awards Ceremony, 1:00 PM, DHMC Auditorium H (Reception to Follow at 2:30 PM, Auditoria A - D)
- May 9 - Class of 2026 Medical Student Investiture, 9:00 AM, Lebanon Opera House (Ticketed Event)
- May 20 - Master of Public Health Independent Integrated Learning Experience (ILE) Poster Session, 4:00 PM, DHMC Rubin 4 Atrium
- June 3 - State of the Medical School & Reception, 4:30 PM, DHMC Auditorium G
- June 11, Class of 2026 Health Sciences Awards Ceremony, 4:30 PM, DHMC Auditoria H, (Reception to Follow at 6:00 pm, DHMC Auditoria A-D)
- June 12, Class of 2026 Health Sciences Investiture, 2:00 PM, Spaulding Auditorium, Hopkins Center
- June 14, Dartmouth College Commencement, 9:00 AM, Dartmouth College Green
More at Geisel Events Calendar
The Dean's Office Update is an internal news platform for Geisel School of Medicine faculty, students, and staff.