Happy New Year! I hope you had time to recharge, refresh and spend time with the people you love. I also hope you are prepared for the looming snowstorm that has shut down the university on Monday. Be safe out there!
We had a lovely holiday interlude, and I’ve had time to read three books (regrettably, a luxury throughout most of the year). The first was an older book called the “‘Athletic Gene,” which explores the interplay of genetics and training in athletic performance. It was quite interesting and did not shy away from the science. The second book is “The Last Honest Man,” an engaging biography of Frank Church, the Idaho senator who led efforts in Congress against the Vietnam War and then led a legendary congressional investigation that resulted in enhanced oversight of the CIA, FBI and other three-letter agencies. Finally, I am reading “World Class” by William Haseltine; it is a case study of the transformation of NYU’s medical center. It is a fascinating story, and I find myself taking copious notes as I read it.
This will be a logistically complicated week in D.C. The snowstorm will certainly put us into full Zoom mode on Monday, and Tuesday is likely to be a bit of slog for commuters as well. Thursday will mark the funeral service, at the National Cathedral, of President Jimmy Carter, a profoundly good and decent man, with numerous road closures and restrictions around the area of the Cathedral. Please be attentive to various directions should you choose to drive in the area before 4 p.m. or so.
However, I am really looking forward to a Lombardi-sponsored event in Riggs Library on Thursday afternoon, the Edward M. Kovach Cura Personalis Endowed Lecture. I do hope that you will join me, and invite your colleagues to do so as well.
There is no fee to attend, and all of Georgetown Lombardi and GUMC is invited to come. However, for security reasons we do need to ask that attendees officially register for the event.
This lecture was established to honor the life of Edward Kovach and to address the importance of care for the entire person, in accordance with Georgetown’s values. Prior awardees have included Katie Couric and Congressman Jamie Raskin. This year we will focus on the very important topic of cancer survivorship.
Here are the details:
Edward M. Kovach Cura Personalis Endowed Lecture
Thursday, January 9, 4:00 – 5:30 p.m., Riggs Library, Healy Hall
A conversation on “How to Make a Difference in the Complicated Lives of Cancer Survivors” with Karen Knudsen, PhD, MBA, American Cancer Society; Nicole Faison, cancer survivor; Louis M. Weiner, MD, director, Georgetown Lombardi, and Nina Kadan-Lottick, MD, MSPH, director, Survivorship Research Initiative, Georgetown Lombardi. In addition, the Wooden Spoon Award will be presented to Patrick Jackson, MD, chief of the Division of General Surgery and director of the Surgical Residency Program at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, and professor of surgery at Georgetown University School of Medicine. RSVP here.
Please make every effort to attend this important and informative event.
Stay warm, and as always, make the world a better place this week.
Lou
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