A Moment of Celebration
UVA Health has much to celebrate in 2024. In this edition of PULSE magazine, I invite you to join me in celebrating a few of our recent accomplishments.
Earlier this year, I marked four years leading UVA Health. We have seen remarkable change during that time, and our mission to transform health and inspire hope remains at the forefront of everything we do. As always, I am incredibly grateful to our 18,000 team members who serve our patients and communities every day.
I am excited about and proud to share some of our outstanding accomplishments that add to our scientific knowledge and improve patient outcomes.
Earlier this year, the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research recognized the UVA School of Medicine for its significant increase in annual federal research funding—from $155 million in 2022 to $174 million in 2023. This places the school 19th in the nation among all public schools of medicine. We are just beginning, and you should anticipate seeing further growth in the years to come.
UVA’s Paul and Diane Manning Institute of Biotechnology, scheduled to open in 2026, is one of our most important initiatives. It reflects our commitment to expanding the scope of our high-impact translational research. We are actively recruiting a world-class team of translational scientists who will invent tomorrow’s innovative therapies that will extend and improve our patients’ lives.
A recent $30 million gift from the family of the late David and Mary Harrison, two of the University of Virginia’s most generous benefactors, will establish the Harrison Family Translational Research Center in Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases within the Manning Institute. The Harrison gift allows us to recruit preeminent scholars and create a dedicated physical space for translational discoveries in the neurosciences.
Another exciting project is the expansion of the neonatal and pediatric intensive care units (NICU and PICU) at UVA Health University Medical Center, which will allow us to accept more transfer patients with complex conditions. Over the last four years, the number of babies born at UVA Health Children’s has increased significantly. Meanwhile, we are forced to turn away more than 20% of the families seeking immediate critical care for their babies and children because of a lack of space. Put simply, this expansion will save lives and offer hope to many more families. We are grateful for the continuing generosity of community members who are helping to support this expansion.
Our recent statewide growth has fostered new patient care relationships, exemplified by enhanced care coordination when patients are shared across our health system. One case involving our NICU illustrates how telemedicine has become an effective way to communicate between physicians at our four hospitals. A baby in our UVA Health Prince William Medical Center NICU was recently born with suspected life-threatening birth defects, esophageal atresia and tracheoesophageal fistula. A diagnosis was made through telemedicine with a NICU expert at UVA Health Children’s, and the patient was then transferred to our 700-bed quaternary care center for surgery. The parents were so grateful to have immediate access to experts who routinely care for this complex condition. This is the type of care coordination that UVA will provide as we increase our footprint across the state of Virginia—the very essence of our mission.
Our ultimate goal, of course, is to provide excellent care to the millions of patients who access UVA Health each year. Many of you are patients, and you or your loved ones have received care across our many facilities. We sincerely appreciate your partnership as you contribute to research and medical advances, our educational mission, or our outstanding clinical care. Thank you for being part of UVA Health!
Warm Regards,
K. Craig Kent, MD
Chief Executive Officer, UVA Health
Executive Vice President for Health Affairs, University of Virginia
