Listening: To Students

Dear Students:

Sixty-five meetings and 42,000 steps. I have had the opportunity to meet with many faculty members over the last few months as I have begun to learn about Yale School of Medicine (YSM) prior to my arrival this week. I am grateful to Dean Alpern for his leadership and graciousness during our transition.

There is much to do as we continue to enhance the education and training of physicians, scientists, and leaders and work to ensure that ours is an environment where students, faculty, and staff thrive. My commitment to you is that I will work to communicate effectively. This is not easy across a large organization such as a medical school. As George Bernard Shaw said, “The biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” To this end, I want to share with you the types of communication you can anticipate. First, at least once a month you should expect a communication from me on an ongoing initiative that includes a discussion of the rationale and underlying values driving it.

Over the coming weeks and months, I will continue to meet one-on-one with leaders throughout YSM. In the late spring, I plan to present the State of the School at several larger gatherings across the campus. I am also eager to hear from our students. Beginning in March, I will host a series of meetings, where you will have an opportunity to share your thoughts about our school over a meal. Details will be circulated in the coming weeks.

I am excited to be joining the YSM community and look forward to getting to know you and to hearing your ideas.

Sincerely,

Nancy J. Brown, MD
Jean and David W. Wallace Dean of Medicine
C.N.H. Long Professor of Internal Medicine